A retrospect of fifty years

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A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

BY THE SAME AUTHOR

THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS
OUR CHRISTIAN HERITAGE
THE AMBASSADOR OF CHRIST
DISCOURSES AND SERMONS

A RETROSPECT OF
FIFTY YEARS

BY

JAMES CARDINAL GIBBONS

ARCHBISHOP OF BALTIMORE

VOLUME n

JOHN MURPHY COMPANY

PUBLISHERS
BALTIMORE NEW YORK

R. & T. "VTASHBOURNE, Ltd.
10 Paternoster Row, London, and at Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY JOHN MURPHY COMPANY

Entered at Stationer's Hall, London, Englaud.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PubliBhed November 1916

'73^'

- n

V

Prewof JOHN MURPHY COMPANY. Baltimore.

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AFFECTIONA TEL Y DEDICA TED

TO THE

"KtgDt IReverenb IRector

AND THE

Benetactor0

OF THE

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

CONTENTS

PAGES

Consecration of Baltimore Cathedral,
May 25, 1876 1-16

Eeminiscences of Baltimore Cathedral 17- 29

Centenary Celebration of the Archdio-
cese OF New York 30-46

Eucharistic Congress in the Westmin-
ster Cathedral (London) 47- 67

Dedication of St. Mary's Church,
HoBOKEN, N. J . 68- 78

Personal Eeminiscences of Pope Eeo
XIII 79-91

The Conclave Which Elected Pius X . 92-102

The Golden Jubilee of Archbishop
Elder of Cincinnati 103-115

The Golden Jubilee of Archbishop

Williams of Boston 116-124

vu

Tiii CONTENTS

The Golden Jubilee of Bishop Loughlin
OF Brooklyn, N. Y 125-138

Cardinal Gibbons' Jubilee Sermon . . 139-147

Archbishop Katzer's Eeception of the
Pallium 148-155

The Patronage of St. Joseph .... 156-169

The Apostolic Mission of the Irish Pace 170-189

Silver Jubilee of the Catholic Univer-
sity 190-205

Will the American Republic Endure? . 206-215

Discourse at the Month's Mind of Arch-
bishop Spalding 216-233

The Funeral of General Sheridan . . 234-242

Address at the Obsequies of Michael

Jenkins, Baltimore 243-248

What Is A Saint? 249-261

Social and Domestic Joys of Heaven . . 262

CONSECRATION

OF THE

BALTIMORE CATHEDRAL

SERMON PREACHED AT THE CONSECRATION

OF THE BALTIMORE CATHEDRAL ON

THE FEAST OF THE ASCENSION.

MAY 25. 1876.

"And tlie eleven disciples went into Gallilee, unto the
mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And seeing Him,
they adored; but some doubted. And Jesus coming, spoke to
them, saying: All power is given to Me in heaven and in
earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations; baptising
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you; and, behold, I am with you all days,
even to the consummation of the world." Matt, xxviii. 16-20.

ON the Feast of our Lord's ascension, 1821,
this Cathedral was dedicated to Almighty
God, by Archbishop Marechal, in presence
of a large concourse of clergy and people; and
today you have witnessed its solemn consecration.
To those who would ask why so long an interval as
fifty-five years should elapse between its dedication
and its consecration, the best answer I can give is,
that the Church, like God, is patient, because she
is eternal. Though always active and expeditious,
she is never in a hurry because she is destined to
last forever.

The passage of Holy Scripture, which I have

1

2 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

taken as my text contains the last words recorded
of our Saviour in St. Matthew's Gospel, before
His ascension into heaven. They embody an im-
portant and marvellous prediction, namely, that
Jesus Christ shall be with His Church even unto
the end of the world ; consequently that as long as
this world shall last, the Catholic Church will be
represented upon this terrestrial globe, and that
she will ever be guarded and guided by Him who
first established her.

The indestructibility of the Church is un-
paralleled in the annals of civil or ecclesiastical
history. She is the only institution that has pre-
served her life, her vigor and her autonomy unim-
paired for eighteen centuries.

The perpetuity of the Church is the more mar-
vellous when we recall to mind, the number and
the variety and the formidable character of the
enemies that have been leagued against her from
her birth to the present moment. She was des-
tined to be always assailed, but conquered never.
This fact of itself stamps divinity on her brow.

Go back, for instance, to the days when the
cornerstone of this venerable Cathedral was laid.
Those that contemplated with a human eye, with-
out any regard to the promises of Christ, the ter-
rible ordeal through which the Church was then
passing, little imagined that she would survive to
witness the consoling spectacle which greets you

CONSECRATION OF CATHEDRAL 3

here this morning. Almost the very year in which
the cornerstone was laid, the Pope was exiled from
his See and country. The cardinals were scattered
like sheep without a shepherd. The first
Napoleon was trampling on the French Episcopate
with the iron heel of despotism. He threatened
to create in France, a national and schismatic
church, as Henry had done in England. He
determined to attach the Pope as a captive or as
a figure-head to his triumphal car.

Today Napoleon and his dynasty have passed
away. The storm has subsided. The Bishops of
France and of Europe are more firmly united than
ever to the rock of Peter. And here we are peace-
fully witnessing the Consecration to God of this
noble edifice, in the midst of an immense, enlight-
ened, sympathizing and enthusiastic congregation,
upon a spot too which was then considered as one
of the outposts of civilization.

The Church has been constantly engaged in a
double warfare — one foreign ; the other, domestic ;
in foreign war against Paganism and infidelity ; in
domestic strife against heresy and schism
fomented by her own rebellious children.

I have time to touch only lightly upon two or
three of the most prominent campaigns in which
the Church has been engaged.

From the day of Pentecost, when she commenced
her active career, to the victory of Constantine

4 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

over Maxentius, at the Milvian Bridge, a period
embracing two hundred and eighty years, the
Church passed through a series of ten persecu-
tions unequalled for atrocity, in the annals of
history. Every torture that malice could invent,
was resorted to, that all vestiges of Christianity
might be abolished. Among other favorite cruel-
ties the christians were sown up in the skins of
wild beasts, and thus exposed to be devoured by
dogs. They were besmeared with pitch, and set
along the paths that their burning bodies might
serve as lamps to light up the Garden of Nero.
And to palliate these barbarities, and to stifle
every sentiment of compassion in the public
breast, their persecutors accused the christians of
the most appalling crimes. They were charged
with being the authors of every public calamity.
If the Tiber overflowed its banks ; if a conflagra-
tion occurred, or an earthquake, or pestilence, or
famine, the detested christian sect was held
responsibile, and had to pay the penalty with
their lives. And so certain was the government
of Pagan Eome of having succeeded in extermin-
ating Christianity, that one of the emperors had
a monument erected on which was inscribed its
epitaph: ' ' Christiano nomine deleto/' *^To the
destruction of Christianity.'*

And yet Pagan Rome, before whose standard
the mightiest nations quailed; Rome, compared

CONSECRATION OF CATHEDRAL 5

with whose extent of territory, our country is but
a province, was unable to crush out the Church, or
even to arrest her progress. In a short time, we
see this collossal empire crumbling to pieces, and
the Head of the Christian Church dispensing laws
to Christendom in the very city, and almost on
the very spot from which the imperial Caesars ful-
minated their edicts against Christianity.

During the fifth and sixth centuries, the Goths
and the Vandals, the Huns, Visigoths and Lom-
bards, and other immense tribes of Barbarians
came down like a torrent, from the North, invading
the fairest portions of Southern Europe. They dis-
membered the Roman Empire, and swept away
nearly every vestige of the old Eoman civiliza-
tion. They plundered cities, levelled churches,
and left ruin and desolation everywhere. Yet
though conquering for a while, they were con-
quered in turn by submitting to the sweet yoke of
the Gospel. Thus, even as the infidel Gibbon is
forced to avow, ^*the progress of Christianity has
been marked by two glorious and decisive victor-
ies : over the learned and luxurious citizens of the
Roman empire, and over the warlike barbarians
of Scythia and Germany, who subverted the
empire and embraced the religion of the Romans. * '

I will not stop to dwell upon that terrible con-
flict in which the Church was engaged in the
fourth and fifth centuries, against Arianism, Nes-

6 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

torianism and Eutichianism. Nor shall I speak
of that still more terrible conflict extending from
the seventh to the sixteenth centuries, against
Mohammedanism which well-nigh succeeded and
would have succeeded in subverting the Chris-
tianity and civilization of Europe, had it not been
for the vigilance of the Popes. And, if today, the
cross instead of the Crescent surmounts the pin-
nacles of Europe, and if those nations are blessed
by the healthy influences of christian civilization
instead of groaning under Turkish bondage, they
are indebted chiefly to the Bishops or Eome, who
watched with sleepless eyes from the watch-towers
of Israel over the welfare of Christendom.

You are all familiar with the great religious
revolution of the sixteenth century when Prot-
estantism broke like a deluge over Northern
Europe and for a moment it seemed as if nothing
could withstand the impact of that shock. Whole
nations were swept into the vortex of heresy.
More than half of Germany; Denmark, Norway,
Sweden, England and Scotland followed each
other out of the Church in quick succession. Even
in Catholic France the faith barely escaped extinc-
tion. Ireland, alone, of all the nations of the
North, remained inviolably attached to the old
religion.

Let us now calmly survey the field, after the
lapse of more than three centuries, when the din

CONSECRATION OF CATHEDRAL 7

and smoke of battle have passed away. Let us
examine the condition of the old Church after
having been engaged in such deadly conflicts.
We see her numerically stronger than she ever
was in any previous period of her history. The
losses she sustained in the Old World, have been
compensated by her acquisitions in the new. She
gtill exists, not a "Magni nominis umbra/' not
the shadow of a mighty name, but in all her integ-
rity, more compact, more united, more vigorous
than ever she was before.

But mark well, my Brethren, it is not in her
numbers that the Church relies, nor in her anti-
quity, nor in her glorious history, nor in her past
victories. But the secret of her strength lies in
the justice of her cause. She knows that ^'the
race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
strong.'^ She says to her opponents what Ga-
maliel said to the first enemies of Christianity:
''If this work be of God, you cannot overthrow it.''
It has not been overthrown: therefore it is of
God.

I would now ask those that are plotting and
predicting the destruction of the Church: How
can you hope to overthrow an Institution which
for more than eighteen centuries, has successfully
resisted the combined assaults of the world, the
flesh, and the powers of darkness? What means
can you employ to compass her ruin?

8 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

Is it the power of Kings and Prime Ministers!
They have already tried in vain to crush her,
from the days of the Koman Caesars to the present
Chancellor of Germany. * Many persons labor
under the erroneous impression that the crowned
heads of Europe have been the unvarying bul-
warks of the Church, and that she could not sub-
sist without them. The truth is, her worst enemies
have been, with some honorable exceptions, so-
called christian princes. They wished to be gov-
erned by no law, but their passion and caprice.
They chafed under the salutary discipline of the
Church, and wished to be rid of her, because she
alone in times of oppression, had the power .and
the courage to stand by the people. She planted
herself like a wall of brass, against the encroach-
ments of their rulers and said to them: *'Thus
far thou shalt go and no farther, and here thou
shalt break thy swelling waves'' of pride. She
told them, ''That if the people have their obliga-
tions, they have their rights too. That if they
must render to Caesar the things that are Coesar's,
Caesar must render to God the things that are
God's.''

Is she unable to cope with modern inventions,
and the progress of the nineteenth century? We
are often told so. But far from hiding our heads
like the ostrich in the sand, at the approach of

• The late Prince Bismark.

CONSECRATION OF CATHEDRAL 9

these inventions and discoveries, we liail tliem as
messengers of God, and we will use them as provi-
dential instruments for the further propagation of
the Gospel.

If we succeeded so well before when we had no
ships but frail canoes; no compass but our eyes;
when we had no roads but eternal snows, virgin
forests and desert wastes ; when we had no guide
save faith and hope in God — if even then we suc-
ceeded so well in carrying the faith to the confines
of the earth, how much more can we do now by
the aid of telegraph, steamships and railroads?
The utility of modern inventions to the Church,
was lately manifested in a conspicuous manner.
The Pope called a Council of the Bishops of the
world. Without the aid of steam, it would have
been impossible for them to assemble at a given
time. But by its aid they were able to meet to-
gether from the uttermost bounds of the earth.
But may not the light of the Church grow pale,
and be utterly extinguished by the intellectual
blaze of the nineteenth century? Has she not
much to fear from literature, the arts and
sciences. What has she to fear in that direction,
since she has always been the patroness of learn-
ing, and the fostering mother of the arts and
sciences? Without her we would be deprived
today of the priceless treasures of ancient litera-
ture. It was she, as Hallam has the honesty to

10 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

testify, that built the bridge which connects the
present with the past. Without her, we would
know as little today of the ancient history of
Greece and Rome, as we know about the pyramids
of Egypt. She founded and endowed nearly all
the great Universities of Europe. And as for
works of art, there are more valuable artistic
monuments in the single Museum of the Vatican,
than are to be found in the whole United States.
Her churches are not only temples of worship,
but also depositories of sacred art.

Is it constitutional liberty that will destroy the
Church? Give us but liberty and we are content.
The Church breathes freely and expands only
where true liberty is found. She is always
cramped where despotism casts its dark shadow.
No where does she enjoy more independence than
here. No where is she more vigorous or more
prosperous.

Children of the Church, fear nothing, happen
what will. Christ is with His Church. Therefore
she shall never fail. Caesar on crossing the stormy
Adriatic, said to the troubled oarsman: ^'Quid
times y Ccesarem veliis/' Fear not, Caesar is on
board. AVhat Caesar said in presumption, Jesus
says with truth. ^'0 thou of little faith, why dost
thou doubt r'

The Church has seen the birth of every govern-

CONSECRATION OF CATHEDRAL 11

ment of Europe, and it is not impossible that slie
shall also witness the death of them all and chant
their requiem. She was more than fourteen hun-
dred years old when Columbus discovered this
continent, and the foundation of our glorious
Eepublic, is to her but as yesterday.

May the God of Israel who is with His Church,
be also with our beloved Republic. It is not our
habit to make fulsome professions of loyalty to
our country. Our devotion to her is too deep, too
sincere, too sacred to be wasted away in idle
declamation. We prove our loyalty not by words
but by acts. But I am sure that I am expressing the
sentiment of your hearts when I offer the fervent
prayer, that this nation may survive to celebrate
her tenth centennial and more ; that as she grows
in strength and years, she may grow in righteous-
ness and wisdom, the only stable foundation of
any government, and that the motto, esto perpetua
may be fufilled in her.

^ Blessed be God, the vitality and growth which
have characterized the history of the universal
Church, have also marked the progress of the
Church in the United States.

Let us contrast the condition of Catholicity in
1806 when the cornerstone of this Cathedral was
laid, with its present situation after a lapse of
seventy years.

12 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAKS

In 1806, there was but one diocese in the United
States, comprising the thirteen original colonies,
with Bishop Carroll at its head. There was but
a handful of priests scattered far and wide over
this immense territory, and maintaining an
unequal struggle with ignorance, vice and infidel-
ity. A few modest chapels were planted here and
there, called churches by courtesy. A few thou-
sand souls comprised the entire Catholic popula-
tion, without wealth, without influence and, what
is more essential, without organization. There
was scarcely a parochial school in the whole coun-
try. There were but two literary institutions to
console the heart of Dr. Carroll, St. Mary's, Bal-
timore, and Georgetown College. These were the
solitary faithful sisters, devoted daughters of the
same spiritual Mother. Well could they be com-
pared to the Mary and Martha of the Gospel. The
Fathers of St. Mary's, like Mary of old, were fond
of kneeling in silent prayer and meditation, at the
feet of Jesus ; while the sturdy fathers of George-
town, like Martha, without neglecting the duties
of Mary, served the Lord in the public ministry.

What is the present condition of the Church?
We count sixty-seven Bishops, upwards of five
thousand priests, six thousand five hundred
churches and chapels, one thousand seven hundred
Parish schools, with an aggregate attendance of

CONSECRATION OF CATHEDRAL 13

nearly half a million of pupils, and a Catholic
population exceeding six millions.*

What has been already done, gives us a hope-
ful assurance of what will be accomplished in the
future, if we are only faithful in walking in the
footsteps of our sires. The Providence of God has
signally aided us in the past, by wafting emigrants
to our shores. It is for us now to co-operate with
heaven by building iip the walls of Sion whose
broad foundations have been laid by our fathers.

I congratulate, you Most Reverend Father, and
your faithful clergy on the great work that has
been consummated today. It was eminently
proper, as the early Church of America and its
first Bishop figured so loyally and so conspicu-
ously at the foundation of our Eepublic, that the
successor of Carroll should signalize this centen-
nial year by a solemn celebration which would
redound at the same time, to the honor of God and
the welfare of Fatherland. Yes, for the welfare
of Fatherland; for every church that is conse-
crated, is not only a temple for the worship of

*At the present time (1916) the statistics of the American
Church are as follows: 14 Archbishops (including 3 Car-
dinals), 97 Bishops, 19,572 Priests; 15,163 Churches and Chap-
els; 5588 Parish Schools; 85 Seminaries; 210 Colleges, 685
Academies, with an attendance of 1,504,149 pupils, and a
Catholic population of 16,564,109, which js an increase of
over 10,000,000 in forty years, and an average increase of over
a quarter of a million a year.

U A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

God, but also a new bulwark of strength to the
nation, and a new propagator of peace, happiness
and civilization.

I congratulate you also, children of the laity.
Your fathers longed to see this day. They see it
from heaven and are glad. We cannot withhold
our admiration when we contemplate your ances-
tors, so few in numbers, projecting and accom-
plishing this colossal undertaking. Truly there
were giants in those days. "These were men of
renown.'' And if they deserve much praise for
undertaking so great a work, no small praise is
due to you for cancelling its debt. Today, for the
first time, you can say in the language of the
Apostle of the Gentiles: ^'Jeriisalem quce est
mater nostra, libera est.'' Jerusalem, our Mother
is free — free from the burden of debt, which
pressed upon her from her infancy. You have
struck the shackles from her feet. It is fitting that
the mother of free-born children of God should
be made free from the bondage of debt, in this
year when we are celebrating the centennial of
our national independence.

What hallowed recollections cluster around
this majestic Cathedral ! How many sacred asso-
ciations are connected with it. This Church is the
spiritual focus from which have emanated the
light and heL. of Apostolic faith and charity to
very distant parts of the country.

CONSECRATION OF CATHEDRAL 15

How many holy Bishops have received their
Episcopal commission within these sacred walls.
How many zealous priests have here been em-
powered to go forth in the power of Christ to
gather together a great flock to the praise of His
Holy Name. How many illustrious prelates and
priests have preached in this sacred edifice within
the last fifty years! How often have the voices
of an England, a Hughes and a Eyder, resounded
beneath this dome. That chair has been succes-
sively filled by a Marechal, a Whitfield, an Eo-
cleston, a Kendrick and a Spalding, and when I
mention them I mention the brightest constella-
tion of names that has ever illustrated the Ameri-
can hierarchy.

But this church has been also the center of what
might be called the organized side of the church's
life. Here all the first Councils were held in the
days when the National Church formed only one
diocese, then only one province : and later, when
it had become a collection of dioceses and prov-
inces, whatever national councils have been held
in America have been held within her sacred walls ;
so that not only has grace and life gone forth from
this great building, but from this cathedral, as
from the center of the life of the American
Church, has gone forth whatever there is of purely
American ecclesiastical law. This sacred edifice
must be dear then to the hearts of every American

16 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

Catholic, what must it be to you, oh. Catholics of
Baltimore !

I said that you have paid the debt of this Ca-
thedral. But there remains another debt yet un-
paid, and which you can liquidate only with your
last breath. I refer to the everlasting debt of
gratitude which you owe to this Mother, for the
faith she has taught your fathers, yourselves and
your children.

Pay her every day this debt of your gratitude,
your love and affection. Pay her the debt of your
homage, your reverence, and your filial obedience.

Pay her each day, the debt of your good ex-
ample. Adorn the interior of this edifice by the
purity of your lives, and the splendor of your
virtues.

Pay her the debt of your daily service. Take
an active, personal interest in her welfare. Keg-
ister this sacred vow today in your hearts, and
say: *^If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right
hand be forgotten. Let my tongue cleave to the
roof of my mouth, if I do not remember thee ; if
I make not Jerusalem the beginning of my joy.'*

REMINISCENCES

OF THE

BALTIMORE CATHEDRAL

REMINISCENCES OF THE CATHEDRAL

OF BALTIMORE, PREACHED ON

THE FIRST SUNDAY OF

DECEMBER. 1905.

ON the twenty-nintli of April, 1906, tlie hun-
dredth anniversary of the laying of the
corner-stone of this Cathedral will be
solemnly commemorated, and all the Prelates of
the United States will be invited to honor the
occasion by their presence. In celebrating this
event, the name of Archbishop Carroll will natur-
ally occupy a conspicuous place.

On the 6th of November, 1789, His Holiness,
Pius VI, issued a Bull creating the hierarchy of
the Catholic Church in the United States, and
appointing the Rev. John Carroll the first Bishop
of Baltimore, whose Episcopal jurisdiction ex-
tended over all the territory then comprised in
the Federal Union.

He was consecrated by the Venerable Bishop
Walmesley, Vicar-Apostolic of the London Dis-
trict, on the 15th of August, 1790, and soon after-
wards he set out for Baltimore where he arrived

17

18 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

on the 7th of December. After occupying this See
for a quarter of a century, he died full of years
and merits, December 3, 1815, in the eighty-first
year of his age.

The history of Archbishop Carroll's administra-
tion clearly shows that his appointment was not
only a wise and judicious, but an especially provi-
dential one. Gifted by nature with talents of a
high order, he improved and developed those tal-
ents by a long course of studies in one of the best
colleges of Europe, and, even among the brilliant
scholars of St. Omer's, he won a high reputation
for learning.

ArchbishoiD Carroll united in his person the
triple character of an ardent patriot, a zealous
prelate, and an accomplished christian gentle-
man. His devotion to his country's cause gained
for him the confidence of the revolutionary leaders ;
his apostolic labors commanded the love and ven-
eration of the faithful, and his benevolent disposi-
tion and gentle manners won the hearts of all his
fellow-citizens with whom he came in contact.

Living in the midst of the Eevolution, animated
by its spirit, and zealous for its triumph, so strong
was the trust reposed in his loyalty and judgment
that he was commissioned by the Continental Con-
gress to accompany his friend, Benjamin Franklin,
his cousin, Charles Carroll and Samuel Chase on a
delicate and important mission to Canada.

EEMINISCENCES OF THE CATHEDRAL 19

The Catholic religion subsists and expands
under all forms of government, and adapts itself
to all times and places and circumstances ; and this
she does without any compromise of principle, or
any derogation from the supreme authority of the
Church, or any shock to the individual conscience.
For, while the truths of faith are eternal and im-
mutable, the discipline of the Church is change-
able, just as man himself is ever the same in his
essential characteristics, while his dress varies
according to the fashion of the times.

Archbishop Carroll was thoroughly conversant
with the genius of our political Constitution, and
with the spirit of our laws and system of govern-
ment. He was therefore admirably fitted for the
delicate task of adjusting the discipline of the
Church to the requirements of our civil Constitu-
tion.

The calm judgment of posterity recognizes John
Carroll as a providential agent in moulding the
diverse elements in the United States into an
organized church. He did not wish the Church
to vegetate as a delicate exotic plant; he wished
it to become a sturdy tree, deep-rooted in the soil,
to grow with the growth and bloom with the
development of the country, inured to its climate,
braving its storms and invigorated by them, and
yielding abundantly the fruits of santification.
Knowing as he did, the mischief bred by national

20 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

rivalries, liis aim was that the clergy and people —
no matter from what country they sprung — should
be thoroughly identified with the land in which
their lot was cast, that they should study its laws
and political constitution, and be in harmony with
its spirit; in a word, that they should become as
soon as possible, assimilated to the social body in
all things appertaining to the domain of civil life.
The more we study his life, the more is our
admiration for this great Prelate enhanced. His
*' solicitude for all the churches," his anxiety to
provide priests for the widely-extended missions,
his personal visitation of the scattered members
of his flock, his privations and fatigues, his efforts
to heal dissensions, to allay disputes and to avert
schisms, his earnest though well-tempered vindi-
cation of the Catholic religion against the misrep-
resentations of her assailants — how vividly these
complex labors of the Archbishop recall the trials
and vicissitudes of the Bishops of the primitive
Church. Like them he worked amidst a poj^ula-
tion filled with prejudices against our holy religion:
— at the best fairly tolerant ; at the worst violently
unfriendly. The Penal Laws were enforced in his
youth; he could remember when Catholicism was
the proscribed religion ; he had no assurance that it
would not become a proscribed religion again. That
at least it should have a chance in the English-
speaking world was the aim of his life, and to this

REMINISCENCES OF THE CATHEDRAL 21

end he used every advantage and gift that God had
given him — birth, station and learning — but all
these would have been of no avail if he had not
added to them the piety of a Christian and the zeal
of a holy prelate.

For this reason he was not only assiduous in
the care of his own flock, but he never forgot
the duties of Christian charity he owed to those
who were not of the household of the faith. His
social relations with the Protestant clergy and
laity of Baltimore were of a most friendly and
cordial character. The veneration in which he
was held by all his fellow-citizens was amply at-
tested by the uniform marks of respect exhibited
toward him during his long administration and
particularly by the genuine outpouring of grief
and the warm tributes of affection paid to his
memory at the close of his earthly career.

In surveying his life, we can truly say that John
Carroll was the man for the occasion. We may
with propriety apply to him the words spoken of
John the Baptist: ^^ There was a man sent from
God whose name was John. This man came for a
witness to bear testimony of the light.''

The site selected for the new Cathedral was pur-
chased from Governor Howard, of Eevolutionary
fame, whose equestrian statue adorns Mount Ver-
non Place in this city. His daughter, Mrs. William
George Bead, was a convert to the Catholic Church

22 A EETEOSPECT OP FIFTY YEAES

and for many years a devout worshiper in the
Cathedral, and a zealous member of the Sanctuary
Society. The architect of the Cathedral was Ben-
jamin Henry Latrobe, the grandfather of our dis-
tinguished fellow-citizen, Mr. Ferdinand C. La-
trobe. Mr. Latrobe had also designed the old Cap-
itol in Washington.

The corner-stone of the Cathedral was laid by ,
Bishop Carroll on the 7th of July, 1806. "We can
form some idea of the Bishop's sublime courage
and pious audacity, or rather, I should say, of his
keen foresight' and deep penetration in undertak-
ing this gigantic work, when we take into account
the slender resources at his command, and the
sparseness of the population of our city. Balti-
more, which today counts nearly 600,000 souls, at
that date had a population of about 30,000, and the
Catholic community hardly amounted to 5,000
souls.

The granite with which the church is built was
brought from the quarries of Ellicott City in carts
drawn by oxen. The work of construction slowly
but steadily progressed till 1812, when it was inter-
rupted by the war with England which continued
from 1812 to 1815. After the close of the war,
work was resumed and carried on till the comple-
tion of the building in 1821.

On the 31st day of Mav, 1821, the sacred edifice
"was dedicated by Archbishop Mareschal. About

REMINISCENCES OF THE CATIIEDEAL 23

fifty years ago the portico was constructed by
Archbishop Kenrick.

Ou Ascension Thursday, May 25, 1876, the
Cathedral was solemnly consecrated by my vener-
able predecessor, Archbishop Bayley. The sacristy
was erected in 1879, and the building was enlarged
and the new sanctuary added in 1888, during my
administration.

Since its dedication in 1821, this Cathedral has
been the scene of many conspicuous and historical
gatherings. No church in the United States has
witnessed so many consecrations of Bishops and
ordinations of priests as have taken place within
these walls. Six and twenty Bishops have been
consecrated before this altar, and many of these
Prelates have occupied a leading position among
the American Hierarchy. I might mention among
others, Whitfield and Eccleston of Baltimore,
Fenwick of Boston, Dubois of New York, Purcell
and Elder of Cincinnati, Whelan of Wheeling,
Gross of Oregon, and the two Foleys, names that
are enshrined in the hearts of the clergy and
people of this city. Of the twenty-six Bishops that
have been raised here to the Episcopal rank, I have
had the privilege of consecrating ten.

Since my advent to Baltimore as your Arch-
bishop, I have ordained one thousand two hundred
and fifty-six priests, of whom five hundred and

24: A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

eighty-six received Sacred Orders beneath this
dome.

In this church three Prelates were invested with
the insignia of cardinalitial rank. In 1895 I was
delegated by His Holiness Leo XIII to confer the
Biretta on his Eminence, Cardinal Satolli. Six
years later, I performed a similar office in behalf
of his Eminence, Cardinal Martinelli.

This venerable temple has been the great Hall
of legislation for the Church of the United States.
Ten Provincial Councils and three plenary or
National Councils were assembled here. Most
Eeverend Francis Patrick Kenrick presided over
the first National Council in 1852. Archbishop
Spalding presided at the Second National Council
in 1866, and I had the honor to preside over the
Third National Council in 1884. This last Council
was attended by seventy-eight Bishops and Abbots,
and by the leading clergy of the country.

But this Church is not only a temple of worship
for the living, it is also a mausoleum for the sacred
custody of the dead. Wlien you visit this shrine,
you have a double duty to perform; you should
not only adore your immortal Saviour reposing in
the Tabernacle, you should also pray for the souls
of the deceased Archbishops whose mortal remains
are interred beneath the sanctuary. In the crypt
Tinder the high altar are deposited the ashes of

KEMINISCENCES OF THE CATHEDRAL 25

Carroll and Mareschal, of Whitfield and Eccleston,
of Kenrick and Spalding.

Many of our American citizens are in the habit
every year of making pilgrimages to Mount
Vernon to view the spot where the Father of his
Country is buried. And many a citizen of the
Eepublic of the Church is piously drawn to this
temple that he might contemplate the last resting
place of the Patriarch of the American Church.

If the patriotism of the American citizen is
awakened and quickened by the sight of Wash-
ington's grave, surely the zeal and devotion of the
Christian ought to be stimulated when he reflects
that he is standing under the roof which shelters
the remains of the first Bishop of the country.

As for myself, I need not tell you that my most
hallowed associations are entwined around this
venerable Cathedral. Every atom of the building
is sacred to me. It was in this church that I was
regenerated in the waters of Baptism at the hands
of the venerated Doctor White. Under its shadow
I was raised to the priesthood. In this temple I
was consecrated Bishop by Archbishop Spalding
of happy memory. It was here that the insignia
of Cardinalitial rank were conferred on me by a
representative of Leo XIII. Here I have labored
as a priest and Prelate for thirty-two years. I
intend to continue to offer the Holy Sacrifice and
to preach within these walls as long as God will

26 A RETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

give me life and strength. And when my earthly
career is ended, which in the course of nature and
the order of Providence, is not far distant, I expect
that my body will repose in this crypt beside the
ashes of my illustrious predecessors, and I hope
it may there remain undisturbed, if God so wills it,
till the glorious dawn of Eesurrection.

You are all aware that the Cathedral no longer
enjoys the seclusion from the noise and din of
business which she formerly possessed. Already
the waves of commerce are fast approaching her,
and are almost beating against her sides. Never-
theless, here she stands, lifting up her majestic
and gilded dome, as a living witness to the fact
that the peace of God need not be lost even amid
the din of worldly traffic, for it appears to me that
the presence of this temple of peace and worship,
amid the sound and strife of worldly pursuits, is
calculated to exert a sobering and tranquilizing
effect on the bustling and feverish multiude, and
a voice from the dome seems to repeat to them
what Christ said to the troubled waves: ** Peace,
be still. ' '

And while the eager crowd outside are worship-
ing at the altar of Mammon, you will always find
inside some devout souls who are worshiping at
the Altar of God. In my experience of over thirty
years, I can hardly remember ever to have visited
the Cathedral without observing at least a few

REMINISCENCES OF THE CATHEDRAL 27

persons silently praying in some nook or recess
of the sacred edifice. Like Moses who prayed
effectually on the Mount while Josue and his hosts
were fighting in the valley, these servants of God
are drawing down blessings from Heaven on them-
selves and this devoted city, while their brethren
are fighting the battle of life.

You will find other sanctuaries in our country
more spacious than this, but you will find none that
have held at one time so many illustrious Prelates.
You will find other caskets more rich and ornate
than this, but none in which have been set so many
precious jewels of the faith. There are other
cathedrals more ample than yours — ^many daugh-
ters there are who have outstripped the mother
in majesty of size, in the number of their progeny
and the accumulation of wealth. But you will find
none equal to the mother in the splendor of ec-
clesiastical traditions. You can truly say of this
mother in the words of Holy Writ: ^^Multce filice
congregaverunt divitias, Tu supergressa es uni-
versas'^ — *' Many daughters have gathered wealth,
thou 0 Mother, hast surpassed them all" in the
sweet and rich memories that hang around thy
sacred brow. And there are none more willing to
pay this affectionate homage to the mother than
the daughters themselves. The Bishops, their
faithful spouses, will come from the North, from
the South, from the East and West, to join with

28 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

you in rendering to her their filial reverence and
love.

What Mecca is to the Mohammedan, what the
Temple of Jerusalem is to the Israelite, what St.
Peter's Basilica in Eome is to the faithful of the
Church Universal, this Cathedral is to the Amer-
ican Catholic.

My brethren, you owe a double debt which I
believe you will joyfully repay. You owe a debt
of gratitude to your fathers in the faith, and to
your fathers according to the flesh for erecting this
Church with their limited numbers and resources.
Should we not, therefore, try to imitate their
sturdy faith and their undaunted courage 1

In this sacred temple many of you received the
grace of baptism. Here you have assembled to
pray Sunday after Sunday. Here you have often
partaken of the Banquet of the Lord. For well-
nigh a century, you and your forefathers have
been coming to this Cathedral to hear the Word of
God. Amid the violence of party strife, amid
social upheavals and political revolutions, you
have listened here Sunday after Sunday to the
same message of peace and love. When you
entered here you felt that you breathed an atmos-
phere of tranquility. The same Gospel that Christ
preached in the flesh, the same Decalogue that
Moses gave from Mount Sinai, that is the message-
which was announced to you from January to

REMINISCENCES OF THE CATHEDRAL 29

December. Be grateful for this priceless legacy-
left you by your fathers, and resolve to remember
them in your prayers when you appear before the
Altar of God. When they beheld the great sum—
and it was a great sum of money in those days —
which must lie upon their Cathedral Church as a
debt, they must often have wondered when it would
be paid. We are happy now in the thought that
we have finished the work which they had the
courage to undertake. The debt was long ago paid,
this venerable building consecrated — ^^ Jerusalem,
our Mother, is free.''

My brethren, was it not meet and just that after
the difficulties and struggles of the greaterpart of a
century, when this Cathedral came forth as a bride
to meet her heavenly Bridegroom, clothed in gorge-
ous apparel, was it not proper that she should say
to her roval Spouse — ^^ Behold these beautiful
robes with which I am adorned are all my own.
They are the gift of Thy children and of mine.
My heart is light, and my face is joyous, because
I am not oppressed by the incubus of debt." And
the Bridegroom will exclaim: ^'Behold the taber-
nacle of God with men, and T will dwell with you,
and I will bless you as I blessed your fathers, and
I will be your God, and you shall be My people."

CENTENARY

OF THE

ARCHDIOCESE

OF

NEW YORK

SERMON DELIVERED AT THE CENTENARY

CELEBRATION OF THE ARCHDIOCESE

OF NEW YORK, 1 908.

"Arise, be enligtitened, 0 Jerusalem, for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. The Gentiles
shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy
rising. Lift up thine eyes round about and see: all these are
gathered together, they are come to thee: thy sons shall come
from afar, and thy daughters shall rise up at thy side. Then
Shalt thou see and abound, and thy heart shall wonder and
be enlarged when the multitude of the sea shall be converted
to thee, the strength of the Gentiles shall come to thee."
Isaiah Ix.

Your Eminence, Most Reverend, Right Reverend
and Reverend Fathers of the Clergy, Dearly
Beloved Brethren of the Laity:

WE are honored today by the presence of his
Eminence, Cardinal Logue, Archbishop
of Armagh, Primate of all Ireland, and
successor of St. Patrick. It is eminently becoming
that this distinguished prelate should take part in
these festivities, as the Cathedral and Archdiocese
of New York are consecrated to St. Patrick the
Apostle of Ireland, and who shares with St. Paul
the glorious title of Apostle of the Nations.

30

NEW YORK CENTENARY 31

We are assembled here this morning to celebrate
with joyful praise and thanksgiving, the hun-
dredth anniversary of the establishment of the
diocese of New York.

A retrospect of the principal personages who fig-
ured in the history of this See during the past
century, would be manifestly incomplete, if no
mention were made of John Carroll, the first Arch-
bishop of Baltimore, the Metropolitan, in his day,
of the Bishop of New York, and the Patriarch of
the American Church.

John Carroll was appointed the first Bishop of
the American Church by Pius VII in an Apostolic
Brief dated November, 1789. The See of Balti-
more then embraced the whole United States.

He was consecrated in the Chapel attached to
Lulworth Castle, in England, the elegant seat of
Thomas "Weld, Esquire. Mr. Weld had the honor
of entertaining, more than once. King George III
of England, and the friendship of the sovereign
secured for his host religious concessions which
were denied to the other Catholic gentry and
nobility in those days of persecution.

On this occasion the consecrating Prelate was
Dr. Walmesly, Vicar Apostolic of the London Dis-
trict.

The sermon was preached by Eev. Charles Plow-
den, an intimate friend of Dr. Carroll. Pather
Plowden's sermon was something in the nature of

32 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

a prophecy of the future greatness of the Ameri-
can Church, the daughter of the ancient Catholic
Church of England, then lying almost in ruins,
whose future he foresaw would be greater even
than her mother's past. How truly he was ani-
mated by the spirit of prophecy is abundantly veri-
fied today by this vast young American Church,
greater and more widely extended than was the
mother church of England, even in the days of her
glory under the Plantagenets.

We regard the selection of Bishop Carroll as a
most providential event for the welfare of the
American Church. For, if a Prelate of narrow
views, a man out of sympathy and harmony with
the genius of the new Eepublic had been chosen,
the progress of the Catholic religion would have
been seriously impeded.

It is true, the Constitution had declared that no
one should be molested on account of religion ; but
constitutional enactments would have been a feeble
barrier to stem the tide of popular and traditional
prejudice, unless those enactments were justified
and vindicated by the patriotic example of the
chief ruler of the American Church.

The diocese of Baltimore embraced the whole
territory of the United States until 1808.

In that year, by an Apostolic Brief of Pius VII,
Baltimore was raised to an Archiepiscopal See,
and four suffragan sees were created, — New York,

NEW YORK CENTENAllY 33

Boston, Philadelphia, and Bardstown. The Bishop
selected to preside over the diocese of New York,
was Eight Keverend Richard Luke Concanen, of
the Order of St. Dominic. The Brief which was
confided to him, creating the See of New York,
never reached its destination; but an authentic
duplicate, issued from the Propaganda, is now pre-
served in the archives of the Baltimore Cathedral.

After his consecration in Rome, Bishop Con-
canen proceeded to Leghorn, and thence to Naples,
in the hope of finding a vessel that would convey
him to America. But after a brief illness, he sud-
denly expired in that city; and thus the first chosen
leader of the people of God in this Commonwealth,
was destined, like Moses, never to enter the Prom-
ised Land.

In 1814, The Eight Reverend John Connolly
was appointed the second Bishop of New York.
The new incumbent, like his predecessor, was a
member of the learned and illustrious Order of
St. Dominic. Owing to the scarcity of priests,
Bishop Connolly was compelled to exercise mis-
sionary duties throughout his vast diocese, which
then comprised the whole State of New York and
the eastern portion of New Jersey. He traversed
the City of New York on foot, administering the
consolations of religion to the sick and afflicted.

After an arduous episcopal career of ten years,
he surrendered his soul to his Maker in 1825. As

34 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

an evidence of the esteem and veneration in which
the Bishop was held by the community at large, we
are informed by a contemporary daily journal, that
his remains were viewed by about thirty thousand
persons, who then formed nearly one-fifth of the
entire population of your city.

John Dubois, the successor of Bishop Connolly,
was a worthy type of those learned and zealous
French priests who for three centuries after the
discovery of our continent, consecrated themselves
to the service of God in this hemisphere. The
French clergy who came to these shores combined
in a remarkable degree the virtues of priests with
the highest culture, the deepest learning and the
greatest refinement. Never should the American
Church forget what she owes to the Church of
France ; nor is she likely to, since the names of her
holy men are stamped upon many a river and
mountain of this fair land.

They carried the torch of faith in one hand, and
the torch of science in the other. As an illustra-
tion of their scientific attainments, I may observe
that the charts of North America which they sent
to the mother country, are regarded even at this
day as marvels of topographical accuracy.

Eev. John Dubois was the founder -and first
president of Mount St. Mary's College, Emmits-
burg, which has been called ''the Mother of Bish-
ops." It is a notable circumstance that his three

NEW YORK CENTENARY 35

immediate successors in the See of New York were
educated in that Institution.

On the occasion of his consecration in Baltimore,
the Bishop was presented with his pectoral cross
and ring by Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, the last
of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

He labored with indefatigable zeal for sixteen
years, until he was worn out by old age and infirmi-
ties. No one acquainted with his life, can deny
that Bishop Dubois was not deficient in force of
character, but a stronger and younger hand than
his was needed to grapple with the administrative
problems that confronted him in his declining
years.

Archbishop Hughes was the man for the occa-
sion. Like Archbishop Carroll, he was providenti-
ally raised up to meet the exigencies of the times.
He braced the relaxing nerves of discipline. The
Trustee System, admirable in itself when exer-
cised within legitimate lines, was grossly abused,
and it led to a spirit of insubordination to the
ecclesiastical authorities. This evil he repressed
with a firm and vigorous hand. He was also the
fearless champion of Christian education; and, if
today our Christian schools are so thoroughly
established and developed throughout the land,
this result is due, in no small measure, to the bold
and timely initiative of the Archbishop of New
York.

36 A EETPtOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

Archbishop Hughes was a Prelate of great intel-
lectual power. James Koosevelt Bayley, my vener-
able predecessor, a man of close observation and
large experience, and an intimate friend of the
New York Prelate, informed me that he regarded
Archbishop Hughes as one of the ablest minds he"
ever encountered. His letters to Mayor Harper,
of New York, are models of literary style, and are
worthy of the pen of a Junius or an Edmund
Burke.

He was a man of indomitable courage. He had
no sense of fear. He never paled before dangers
and difficulties. He rather courted them, that he
might triumph over them.

As an instance of his fearlessness, he often
expressed a desire to witness a storm at sea. His
wishes were gratified beyond his expectations in
a voyage he made to Europe in a sailing vessel
in 1839. A hurricane raged with unabated fury
for twenty-four hours. While his fellow passen-
gers were huddled together in a state of consterna-
tion, he remained on deck and exulted in the fear-
ful conflict of the elements.

He has left an indelible impress of his words
and character on this Archdiocese, and even on
the country at large.

When the See of New York became vacant by
the death of Archbishop Hughes in 1864, Eight
Eeverend John McCloskey was chosen to succeed

NEW YORK CENTENARY 37

him, and time has amply vindicated the wisdom
of the choice.

The zeal and labors which have signalized his
career in the diocese of Albany, and in the Arch-
diocese of New York, will mark a luminous and an
indelible record in the history of these two Sees.

At the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore,
Archbishop McCloskey was a commanding figure,
and was regarded as the Nestor of that ven-
erable assembly. He preached the opening sermon
of the Council, which fully sustained the reputa-
tion he had acquired as a pulpit orator. He had a
rich, penetrating, well modulated voice, combined
with a distinct enunciation, and a most grace-
ful delivery. So great was the confidence which
his colleagues reposed in his ripe judgment, that
as far as I can recall, they invariably and cordially
acquiesced in his opinions.

Clergy and faithful of New York, what senti-
ments of honest pride must be evoked in your
hearts at the mention of these two illustrious
Pontiffs, for they shed a glory not only upon this
city but over the whole American Church.

Those two churchmen had each his predominant
traits of character : McCloskey, meek, gentle, retir-
ing from the world, reminds us of Moses with
nplifted hands, praying on the mountain. Hughes,
active, bold, vigorous, aggressive, was like Josue

38 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

^ghting in the valley, armed with the Christian
panoply of faith, truth and justice.

John McCloskey has the undivided distinction
of being the first Cardinal ever created on Ameri-
can soil, and this diocese shares the glory with him.
As an evidence of the Cardinal's imperturbable
temper and self-control under trying circum-
stances, I m^ay mention that a few moments before
he was invited by the Master of Ceremonies to
ascend the pulpit to deliver the opening sermon
at the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore, a tele-
gram was handed to him announcing the destruc-
tion of his cathedral by fire. His Eminence
preached in his usual tranquil and unruffled man-
ner. When I expressed to him the next morning
my surprise at his composure after receiving such
startling news, he gently replied: *^The damage
was done, and I could not undo it."

It is quite unnecessary in this assembly to dwell
at any length on the life of the late lamented Arch-
bishop Corrigan. His virtues and good deeds are
so fresh in the memory of all of us, — of his broth-
ers in the Episcopate, his clergy and laity, that
they need no rehearsal at my hands.

Suffice it to say that he was a man of many-sided
attainments, so learned in speculative theology,
and yet so practical, so courtly, yet so humble, so
gentle, yet so strong. He was a man of most
methodical habits, never wasting a moment 's time,

NEW YORK CENTENAEY 39

and was eminently conspicuous for administrative
ability. In all questions affecting Canon Law and
Church History, as well as the venerable traditions
and usages of the Apostolic See, he was an author-
ity and a living encyclopaedia among his colleagues.

Though obliged by his exalted position to appear
in the public walks of life, he courted retirement,
and ** his life was hidden with Christ in God."

It would ill become me to enlage here in his
presence on the merits and labors of the popular
Prelate who now happily presides over the des-
tinies of this flourishing archiocese. He has taken
up, and holds with a firm and prudent hand, the
reins of government laid down by his illustrious
predecessors. He enjoys the esteem, the confi-
dence and affection of the clergy and laity com-
mitted to his spiritual jurisdiction.

And while *^the solicitude of the Churches,''
and the moral and religious welfare of his own
people are the primary object of his pastoral vigi-
lance and zeal, nevertheless like a true, patriotic
Prelate, he is always ready and eager to co-oper-
ate with his fellow citizens of every race and rank
and religion, in advocating any measure that may
redound to the material and temporal well-being
of the inhabitants of this great Metropolis.

Let us now make a brief survey of the gigantic
strides which this archdiocese has made during
the century that has come to a close. It is only by

40 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

comparisons and contrasts that we can form an
adequate estimate of this growth and expansion.

According to a primer Catholic Directory pre-
served in the Baltimore Cathedral archives, pub-
lished in 1813, there were six priests ministering
in this diocese which then, as I said, embraced the
whole State of New York and a part of New Jer-
sey. There was only one Catholic Church in the
city, — old St. Peter's, and a few modest houses of
worship scattered far and wide over that immense
area. The Catholic population numbered about
25,000 souls. As for colleges and academies, hos-
pitals and asylums, there were none of which any
record is preserved.

What is the situation today? In the same terri-
tory there are one Archbishop and nine Bishops,
including a coadjutor and an auxiliary Bishop,
twenty-five hundred and thirty-six priests, up-
wards of fourteen hundred churches, and a Cath-
olic population of about three millions. The whole
region is now adorned with colleges, academies
and schools, protectories, asylums and hospitals,
and with all the appliances that religion and be-
nevolence can devise for the alleviation of suffer-
ing humanity. New York is, today, the most
flourishing See in the United States, and is second
to few, if indeed to any, in the whole Catholic
world.

But amon2r the various Institutions that enrich

NEW YORK CENTENAEY 41

this Metropolitan See, there is one structure which
the hierarchy and faithful contemplate with pecu-
liar pride and exultation ; there is one edifice which
is your joy and your crown, and that is the
majestic Cathedral in which we are now assembled.

In contributing to the erection of this Church,
you have done honor to yourselves. If it is a glory
for a citizen to raise a monument to the father of
his country, how much greater is the privilege of
erecting a monument to our Saviour and Father
in Heaven?

As three kings took part in erecting Jerusalem's
temple, so have three princes of the Church united
in the construction of this noble edifice. Arch-
bishop Hughes secured the ground and projected
the idea; Cardinal McCloskey erected the build-
ing; and Archbishop Corrigan, re-enforced by his
successor, brought the work to a happy consum-
mation.

Nor were these great Prelates assisted in erect-
ing this Cathedral by kings and princes, as their
predecessors would have been helped in an older
time ; but they were helped by the Christian people,
and to a great extent by the Christian poor.
Westminster Abbey is a monument of the good-
ness of an Edward and the piety of a Henry, but
this Church has sprung up out of the very hearts
of thousands of the faithful who have often had to

42 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

deny tliemselves, and sometimes very rigorously,
to assist in this good work.

You prove that you have sturdy faith as well
as royal hearts. It is only earnest Faith that
could conceive and erect so noble a structure as
this. Heinrich Heine, the distinguished Jewish
poet, after contemplating the beautiful Cathedral
of Amiens, turning to a friend, said: ^^You may
see here the difference between convictions and
opinions : Opinions cannot build such Cathedrals ;
convictions can.'*

The most impressive sermon ever preached in
this Church, is delivered by the Cathedral itself.
It is a sermon in marble. It preaches in silent but
eloquent language to the immigrant daily arriving
at your harbor.

If the devout philosopher *^ finds tongues in
trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones,
and good in everything,'' surely the Christian pil-
grim, in casting his eyes around him in this
Church, will discover everywhere object lessons to
quicken his faith, to strengthen his hope, and nour-
ish his love for his God and Saviour.

Nor could any sermon have been the cause of so
much comfort and consolation as this Cathedral
has bestowed upon thousands of God's servants.
To take only one example of what it must have
meant — what it means even today — to the children
of St. Patrick coming to these shores to see, as

NEW YORK CENTENARY 43

almost their first sight in the New World, the cross-
crowned spires of this beautiful Gothic Church so
like that other most beautiful example of modern
Gothic which was the last sight that greeted their
eyes as the fair hills of Old Ireland faded from
their view.

If we investigate the principal causes that have
contributed to the growth and expansion of this
Metropolitan See, we must acknowledge that
under God you are chiefly indebted for this result
to the tide of immigrants that for the last century
has steadily flowed to your harbor.

They have come to your city, first of all, and
most of all from Ireland, and in lesser numbers
from the other parts of the British Isles, from the
German and Austrian Empires, from France and
Italy, and other portions of Catholic Europe.

But this heterogeneous and unorganized mass
of Christian worshippers, however, would soon
disintegrate under adverse circumstances, like a
body without a spirit, and their faith would van-
ish into thin air, if they were not marshalled and
co-ordinated, nourished and sustained by the zeal
and piety of a devoted and enlightened clergy.

But although you are glad to acknowledge the
fact that all nations have contributed something
to the building of the Church of Christ in the City
of New York, you will all agree, I am sure, with
what I have just said, that whatever may be your

4ti A RETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

own ancestry, the post of honor must be assigned
to the children of ever faithful Ireland. They
have borne the brunt of the battle. Whatever may-
have been the unhappy causes that have led to the
expatriation of so many of Ireland's sons and
daughters from their native soil, an overruling
Providence has made their exile subservient to
higher and holier purposes. I can safely say that
there are few cities or towns in the United States,
where the Catholic religion has not been pro-
claimed by priests and sustained by laymen of
Irish birth or descent.

When I contemplate this army of sturdy immi-
grants leaving their native shores of Europe and
advancing towards your beautiful harbor ; when I
behold them assimilated with the native popula-
tion, and becoming ''bone of our bone, and flesh of
our flesh," when I see them contributing to the
material wealth and prosperity of the country;
above all, when I observe them enriching our
nation with the blessings of Christian faith, and
uniting with us in building up the walls of Jerusa-
lem— when I survey this scene, the glorious vision
of the Prophet Isaiah looms up before me : ''Arise,
be enlightened, 0, Jerusalem, for thy light is
come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon
thee. The Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings
in the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes
round about and see: all these are gathered

NEW YORK CENTENARY 45

together, they are come to thee: thj sons shall
come from afar, and thy daughters shall arise up
at thy side. Then shalt thou see and abound, and
thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged when the
multitude of the sea shall be converted to thee, the
strength of the Gentiles shall come to thee.*^

A word, in conclusion, to you, my Brethren, who
are the heirs of the faith of your fathers. It is
your sacred mission to see to it that the glorious
prophecy of Isaiah shall be amply fulfilled, and
that the twentieth century shall emulate the cent-
ury that has closed by the growth and expansion of
the Church of Christ. This result you will accom-
plish by co-operating with your Bishops and clergy
in promoting every good work undertaken in the
cause of religion and humanity.

In all union there is strength ; but in the union
of a Bishop with his clergy and people there is
more than the strength of man, since they have
been bound together and united to one another by
God himself.

It is our proud boast that public law and private
morality find their only true sanction and support
in religion. My brethren, I exhort you to be in
your own persons the proof of this fact. Let your
interest in your city, in your State, in your coun-
try, show how closely patriotism is allied to reli-
gion, and how necessarily true patriotism and true
love of country depend upon a true love of God.

46 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

And as you love your country, and because you
love your country, take ever an abiding and vital
interest in the affairs of your boly religion. Let
the world know that because you are Americans
you love the Catholic Church as that which you
believe will ultimately be proved to be the salt
which will help to keep the whole mass of the
American people from decay and disintegration.
Let us apply these words of the Prophet which I
have taken as my text to the future of our country.
She shall rise ; she shall be enlightened ; her light
will come if only the glory of the Lord shall rise
upon her.

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS
WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL

LONDON

SERMON PREACHED AT THE EUCHARISTIC

CONGRESS IN THE WESTMINSTER

CATHEDRAL. SEPTEMBER. 1 908.

"I say unto you that many shall come from the East and the
West, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
In the kingdom of heaven." — Matt, viii, ii.

Your Eminence,'^ Most Reverend and Reverend
Fathers: Beloved Brethren of the Laity:

IT is a great honor and privilege, that members
of the hierarchy of the United States should
unite with their brethren of the British Isles,
and of the Continent of Europe in celebrating
among you this Love-Feast of the Blessed Sacra-
ment.

I am indebted for the favor conferred on me to
the kind partiality of your beloved Archbishop,
whose pressing invitation I accepted as a com-
mand. And in appearing before you I am endeav-
oring to pay a debt of gratitude to the Archdiocese
of Westminster — for, when we celebrated, some

* Cardinal Vincenzo Vannutelli presided at the Eucharistlc
Congress

47

48 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

years ago, the centenary of tlie establisliment of
the American Catholic hierarchy, Cardinal Man-
ning was worthily represented in Baltimore by one
of his venerable colleagues. "\Ye earnestly hope
that the occasion, so suggestive of your good will
to your brethren beyond the seas, may contribute
to strengthen the bond of fellowship between the
clergy and people of England and of the United
States.

But there are other and higher reasons than
personal friendship to justify the participation
by American prelates in the ceremonies of today.
Though we are separated from you by an immense
ocean, we are united with you, thank God, in the
heritage of a common faith. We, across the At-
lantic, claim, as well as you, to be the spiritual
children of Gregory, Augustine and Patrick, of
Alban and Venerable Bede, of Anselm and Thomas
of Canterbury, of Peter and Pius; we have with
you, *^one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of all.'' Indeed, our kinship is stronger
and more enduring than that which is created by
flesh and blood. "W^ien I entered your cathedral
this morning, I could say to you all, in the name
of my countrymen, and in the language of the
Apostle of the Gentiles : ^^ We are no more strang-
ers and foreigners, but we are fellow citizens
with the saints, and of the household of God, built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

EUCHAEISTIC CONGRESS 49

Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-
stone.^' This sentiment inspires me with confi-
dence, and makes me feel at home; for, I am
addressing you as brothers in the faith, and I can
speak to you with all the warmth and affection of
the same apostle: ^'My month is open to you,'*
fellow-Catholics of England, ^'my heart is en-
larged.''

But we inherit not only the traditions of your
christian faith; we inherit also the traditions of
your civil and political freedom. The Great Char-
ter of Liberty, which Cardinal Langton of Canter-
bury and the English Barons wrested from King
John, on the plains of Eunnymede, is the basis of
our constitutional liberties. We share with you
in the fruit of your victories.

We. have not only a common heritage of civil and
political freedom, but we also speak the same
language — the language of Chaucer and Shakes-
peare, of Pope and Dryden, of Tennyson and
Newman. The steady growth of the Church in the
English-speaking world, during the last three cen-
turies, is truly gratifying, and may be considered
phenomenal. For, whereas, in the Sixteenth Cen-
tury the number of English-speaking Bishops was
considerably under thirty there are now upwards
of two hundred Bishops ruling dioceses where
English is the prevailing language. An English-
speaking hierarchy is established in England, Ire-

50 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

land and Scotland, and in the United States and
Canada, the East Indies and Australia.

Moreover the Church in the United States has
another bond of union with the Church in Great
Britain, and that is your Catholic literature. Not
to mention the classic writers of England, whose
domain is as wide as the British Empire, the
Catholic authors who flourished among you in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are household
names among us. Our clergy and educated laity
are almost as familiar as you are, with the writ-
ings of Bishop Hay, Bishop Challoner and Dr.
•Milner, of Alban Butler and Dr. Lingard, of Father
Faber and Father Coleridge, and of the three
illustrious Cardinals who have shed an unfading
lustre on the Church in England by their literary
labors as well as by their apostolic lives — I refer
to the immortal triumviri, Wiseman, Newman and
Manning.

We have not only the same language and literar
ture, but we live under practically the same system
of government. You are ruled by a constitutional
monarchy; we are ruled by a constitutional re-
public. The head of our nation is the President;
the head of your nation is the King, the son and
successor of a Queen, whose long and prosperous
reign will be ever memorable in the annals of
England, and whose domestic virtues commanded
the veneration and love of her subjects, and the

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 51

admiration of the civilized world. Though the
forms of government differ in name, they are the
same in their practical results. We both enjoy
the inestimable blessings of civil and religious
liberty. Our respective governments hold over us
the aegis of their protection without interferring
with us in the exercise of our sacred functions.

This remark may be specially emphasized in
regard to your colonies. I have conversed with
Bishops from Canada, from Australia, New Zea-
land, and other possessions of the British Empire,
and they were all loud in their praise of the free-
dom which they enjoy as prelates of the Catholic
Church.

I need not dwell on the vast extent of the British
territory, which embraces about ten millions of
square miles, or about one-fifth of the surface of
the globe, and whereas the old Eoman Empire was
colossal in its proportions, for it extended into
Europe as far as the River Danube, into Africa
as far as Mauritania, and into Asia as far as the
Tigris and Euphrates. Yet, the Roman Empire
formed scarcely a sixth part of the dimensions of
the British dominions.

It has been justly observed that, two thousand
years ago, the great Roman Empire, with its splen-
did system of public roads, afforded the Apostles
and their immediate successors exceptional facili-

52 A RETROSPECT OF EIFTY YEARS

ties for traversing the provinces and announcing
the Gospel to the Gentile world.

Does not the same observation apply, with still
greater force, to the mighty British Empire of
today? She has a commercial net work extending
over oceans and continents, and should not God's
ministers avail themselves of this providential
agency by the propagation of the Kingdom of
Christ?

Oh ! my brethren of England, what a vast field
is open to your zeal and activity ! May your mis-
sionary sons be endowed with the apostolic spirit
of Augustine, Winfrid and Patrick. May they
succeed in preaching the Gospel wherever Eng-
land establishes her laws. May they be as zealous
in conquering souls as British statesmen are in
acquiring territory. May they extend the kingdom
of Christ wherever England enlarges her temporal
dominion ; may they erect a house of prayer wher-
ever she builds a fort, and may they determine to
plant the cross, the symbol of salvation, side by
side with the banner of St. George.

And may my own dear country engage in holy
emulation with England in spreading the Gospel
of peace and the blessings of Christian civilization,
and may apostles spring forth in America, to carry
the faith into every region wherever float the stars
and stripes.

I am sure that you will all agree with me, that

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 58

the sister isle has done her duty in the cause of
Catholic missionary labor. Whatever have been
the unhappy causes that have led to the expatri-
ation of so many of Ireland's sons and daughters
from their native soil, Almighty God has made
their exile subservient to higher and holier pur-
poses. I can safely say, that there is scarcely a
city or town in the United States or Australia,
where the Catholic religion has not been pro-
claimed by priests and supported by laymen of
Irish birth or parentage.

But let us not forget another country across the
channel which is here today so worthily repre-
sented and which has set an example of noble zeal
to England and to America. At the close of the
Eighteenth Century, many of the noblest clergy
of France, driven from their native land by the
storm of the French Revolution, sought refuge in
England, where they were graciously received, and
hospitably entertained. And it is well known how
they endeared themselves to the British people by
their refined manners and gentle Christian deport-
ment, as well as by their apostolic zeal and the
edifying example of their private lives. For three
centuries after the discovery of the American con-
tinent, heroic missionaries from Catholic France
were laboring in evangelizing and civilizing the
aboriginal tribes of North America, traversing the
country always at the risk, and often at the sacri-

54 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

fice of tlieir lives. And as a result of their labor,
there are few Indian tribes today in the United
States or Canada that do not know and venerate
the ^' black robes."

If those heroic men accomplished so much when
they had no boats bu^ frail canoes ; no roads but
eternal snows, and virgin forests and desert
wastes; no compass but the naked eye; no guide
save faith and hope and God ; how much more will
your consecrated sons be able to effect by means
of railroads and steamships and other appliances
of modern civilization?

Therefore, we bless you, 0 men of genius ; we
bless your inventions and discoveries. We hail
you as agents of God : We will impress you into
the service of religion, and we will say with the
Prophet Daniel : * ' Sun and moon, bless the Lord ;
fire and heat, bless the Lord ; lightnings and clouds,
bless the Lord; all ye works of the Lord, bless the
Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever."

But you English Catholics have an additional
incentive to stimulate your pious enthusiasm, and
to arouse your zeal in diffusing around you the
blessings of Christian faith. Our Holy Father, Leo
XIII, of happy memory, sets forth, in glowing
terms, the golden opportunities that lie before you.
He portrays in luminous language the noble char-
acter of your countrymen. As Gregory the Great
was drawn towards the enslaved Angles in Eome

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 55

by the comeliness of their countenances, so is Leo
attracted toward the free and enlightened Britons
by their elevated qualities of mind and heart.

In his apostolic letter of 1895, he enlarges on
the distinguishing traits of the English people.
He admires your candor, your sense of justice and
humanity. He praises your social virtues and
your successful efforts in uplifting the poor and
the working classes ; your munificence in founding
institutions for decrepit old age and abandoned
youth; in building hospitals for the alleviation of
every form of suffering humanity; and in the
establishment of houses of correction and reforma-
tion for the criminal and depraved. He dwells on
your commercial enterprise and activity, extend-
ing over the civilized world the good order and
stability of your government; the respect for
religion and for the Christian Sabbath, and the
veneration in which the Sacred Scriptures are held
throughout the land.

If to the blessings just enumerated were super-
added unity in Christian belief, this bond of sacred
fellowship would, in the judgment of the Holy
Father, largely contribute to the peace and happi-
ness of domestic life, and to the strength and secur-
ity of the British Empire at home and abroad.

And, my brethren, remember Gregory speaks
through Leo. The same zeal that Gregory exhib-
ited at the close of the Sixth Century for Eng-

56 A EETPtOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

land's conversion, Leo displays at the close of
the Nineteenth Century for the restoration and
development of the Catholic religion in your be-
loved country.

And the same homage and filial reverence that
Augustine paid to Gregory, your prelates render
to Pius X, our reigning Pontiff. They recognize the
same divinely appointed principle of authority,
and are guided and cheered by the same voice that
spoke to your first great Apostle.

But there are still stronger and more enduring
ties binding the Catholic Church of America to
the Church in England.

Maryland, the mother Church in the United
States, was founded by English Catholics. Leon-
ard Calvert, the brother of Lord Baltimore, and
the leader of the English Catholic colony, desirous
of securing liberty of worship for his co-religion-
ists, sailed with them from Cowes, Isle of Wight,
in the Ark and Dove — fitting messengers to carry
he fortunes of the pioneer pilgrims. They reached
their destination on the banks of the Potomac, in
1634.

This colony of British Catholics was the first
to establish on American soil the blessings of
civil and religious liberty. Wliile the Puritans of
New England persecuted other Christians, and
while the Episcopalians of Virginia persecuted
Catholics and Puritans, Catholic Maryland gave

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 57

freedom and hospitality to Puritans and Episco-
palians alike. In the' words of Bancroft, "The
foundation of the colony of Maryland was peace-
fully and happily laid. Within six months it had
advanced more than Virginia had done in as many
years. . . .

"But far more mem^orable was the character of
the Maryland institutions. Every other country
in the world had persecuting laws ; but through the
benign administration of the government of that
province, no person professing to believe in Jesus
Christ, was permitted to be molested on account
of religion. Under the munificence and superin-
tending mildness of Lord Baltimore, a dreary wil-
derness was soon quickened with swarming life
and activity of prosperous settlements : the Roman
Catholics, who were oppressed by the laws of Eng-
land, were sure to find a peaceful asylum in the
quiet harbors of the Chesapeake; and there, too,
Protestants ivere sheltered from Protestant intol-
erance. Such were the beautiful auspices under
which Maryland started into being. Its history is
the history of benevolence, gratitude, and tolera-
tion."

I will add one more link to the chain of hallowed
associations between the Catholic Church in Eng-
land and America. The first Bishop of the United
States was consecrated in England by an English
prelate. John Carroll, the first Archbishop of

58 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

Baltimore, and the Patriarch of the American
Church, was consecrated in 1790, in the Chapel at
Lulworth Castle, Dorsetshire, the elegant seat of
Thomas Weld, and when the proprietor of Lul-
worth heard of the appointment of Dr. Carroll,
he invited him to be his gnest. May the Lord show
mercy to thee, Thomas Weld, for the hospitality
thou didst extend to the infant Church of America
in the person of her first Bishop.

The consecrating prelate was Bishop Walmes-
ley. Vicar Apostolic of the Western District. Dr.
Walmesley was not only conspicuous for his piety
and zeal as a churchman, but he was also an
eminent scientist. In 1752, he was invited by the
English Government to co-operate with other
learned men in arranging the Gregorian Calendar
and adapting it to Great Britain.

One of the acolytes on the occasion of the con-
secration, was the son of Mr. Weld ; he became the
future Cardinal Weld, and was conspicuous as a
member of the Sacred College.

The Eev. Charles Plowden, of the Society of
Jesus, and an intimate friend of Dr. Carroll,
preached the consecration sermon. He fore-
shadowed with prophetic vision the future growth
and development of the American Church. As
she was no longer fettered by repressive laws, but
breathed the air of liberty, she would increase with
giant strength.

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 59

**As we, in former ages," said the speaker,
''received the faith of Kome from the great St.
Gregory, and our Apostle St. Austin, so now, at
an interval of twelve-hundred years, our Venerable
Prelate, the heir of the virtues and labor of our
Apostle, will this day, by commission from the
successor of St. Gregory, consecrate the first
Father and Bishop of the new church, destined,
as we confide, to inherit those benedictions which
the first called have ungratefully rejected. Glorious
is this day for the Church of God, which sees new
nations crowding into her bosom : glorious for the
Prelate elect, who goes forth to conquer these
nations for Jesus Christ; not by the efforts of
human power, but in the might of those weapons
that have ever triumphed in this divine warfare."
The preacher went on to say that the daughter
would one day outstrip the mother in the multi-
tude of her spiritual children. The prophecy has
indeed, been fulfilled. The daughter excels the
mother in the wealth of her institutions, and in
the number of her bishops, clergy and laity.

But, my brethren, while claiming this pre-emi-
nence, we acknowledge, with filial reverence, that
the mother has higher prerogatives to which the
daughter must joyfully yield. Many daughters
have gathered together riches: thou, 0 mother,
hast surpassed them all. Thou dost excel the
daughter in the wealth and splendor of thy ven-

60 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

erable and hallowed traditions, in the effulgent
host of thy glorious martyrs and illustrious con-
fessors of the faith.

On this red letter day, which marks a new epoch
in the history of the Catholic Church in England,
it would be interesting and instructive, if I had the
time, to form a comparison between the present
condition of the English Church and her situation
at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century.

The great religious revolution of the Sixteenth
Century had spread like a tornado over Northern
Europe. More than half of Germany adopted the
teachings of its new apostle. Sweden, Denmark,
Norway, and all Scandinavia, followed in the same
path. Calvinism in the Sixteenth Century, and
Voltairism in the Eighteenth, had wrought such
havoc in France, that twice the fate of that great
Catholic nation trembled in the balance. Ireland,
alone, of all the nations of the North, remained
loyal to the ancient creed ; for England and Scot-
land, alas, had broken off their allegiance to the
Holy See.

At the close of the Eighteenth Century, the
Church in England had not yet recovered from the
shock of the great upheaval. Her children steered
their course in the bark of Peter under reefed
sails, not knowing when the abating storm might
be renewed with increased violence. The spiritual
administration of the whole island was confided to

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 61

four Vicars Apostolic. They were aided by about
one hundred and twenty priests, scattered up and
down the country. A few modest chapels, which
could not be dignified with the name of Christian
temples, were established here and there, and
chiefly in the great commercial centers; and the
entire Catholic population was estimated by Dr.
Milner at 70,000.

Let us now calmly survey the scene after the
din and smoke of battle have passed away; when
penal laws are happily abolished, and when the
scales of prejudice have fallen from the eyes of
the English people, and when they stand forth
in the full light of their sturdy manhood, and their
generous, warm-hearted character.

We see, today, a hierarchy composed of an
Archbishop with fifteen suffragans ; three thousand
priests, ministering to a Catholic population of
nearlv two millions.

This consoling result is due, under God, to the
zeal of the bishops and clergy, and to the generous
co-operation of the laity.

I may also add, that, if the Catholic Church is
now viewed with so much respect and benevolence
by the people of England, this circumstance may be
ascribed, in no small measure, to the fact, that the
Catholic hierarchy, and, especially, the three Car-
dinals who have ruled the diocese of Westminster,
have not only deported themselves as devoted

62 A RETROSPECT OF EIFTY YEARS

cliurclimen, but that they have taken a personal,
loyal, vital interest in every measure that contrib-
uted to the moral, social, and economic welfare of
their beloved country.

My Brethren, what a change has come over the
face of this city since the death of Bishop Chal-
loner, one hundred and twenty-seven years ago!
So stringent and oppressive were the religious
restrictions in his day, that he was obliged to
observe the utmost circumspection in breaking the
Bread of Life and dispensing the word of God to
his scattered flock. His latter days were embit-
tered by beholding his chapels ruthlessly destroyed
by a mob in the ^^Lord George Gordon riots." He
could almost literally say with the Prophet Elias :
*^With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord of
Hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken
Thy covenant, they have destroyed Thy altars;
they have slain Thy Prophets with the sword, and
I alone am left, and they seek my life, to take it
away. ' ' ( III K. , xix. )

If his venerable form were to appear before us
today, he would behold this august temple radiant
with all the splendor of our ceremonial, amid the
enthusiastic joy of the Catholic nobility, gentry,
and people of Great Britain and Ireland, and with
the benevolent interest of our separated brethren
and the great organs of public opinion.

Over fifty years ago, after the re-establishment

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 63

of the English Catholic hierarchy, at the synod of
Oscott, the illustrious Dr. Newman preached a
sermon on the '^Second Spring/' in which, in his
own matchless style and silver)^ voice, he spoke
of the hopes and prospects of the Church in Eng-
land, after the winter of her tribulations had
passed away. Had God spared him to our day,
with what eloquence could he portray to you how
the Spring had bloomed and ripened into Summer ;
and, as a proof of this development, he could point
to this mystical tree of life, under whose stately
arches we are all assembled, spreading its branches
far and wide, so that, from henceforth, thousands
may be sheltered beneath its ample shade, and be
nourished by its perennial fruit of grace and sanc-
tification.

All honor to the Catholic nobility, gentry, and
commonality of Great Britain and Ireland, who,
amid trials and persecutions, have preserved their
faith unsullied ; who regarded the name of Catholic
as more precious than any earthly civic title, like
the Hebraw lawgiver, who ^^ chose rather to be
afflicted with the people of God, than to have the
pleasure of sin for a time, esteeming the reproach
of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the
Egyptians. '^

When the bishops, clergy and people are united
as you are, there is no such word as fail ; you are

64 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

sure to succeed. You form a triple cord whicli
cannot be easily broken.

And why should you not co-operate with the
bishops and clergy in advancing the cause of truth
and righteousness? Do not you and they claim
God as your common Father? Are you not broth-
ers and sisters of the same Christ? Are you not
sanctified by the same Holy Spirit?

^' There are diversities of graces, but the same
Spirit ; and there are diversities of ministries, but
the same Lord ; and there are diversities of opera-
tions, but the same God, Who worketh all in all.'*
Are not your interests alike? Are you not all in
the same bark of Peter, subject to the same storms,
and steering toward the same eternal shores,
prospective citizens of the same celestial kingdom?

If any nation has reason to join hands with its
spiritual rulers, and to glory in its Catholic tradi-
tions, that nation is England. From the sixth to
the sixteenth centurv, when ^'the whole land was
of one tongue and of one speech,'^ when the faith
of its people was identical, the history of Great
Britain is emblazoned with the names of Chris-
tian princes and prelates and people, who have
reflected unfading renown on their country, by
their sturdy manhood, their unswerving loyalty
to country, and their deep-rooted faith. Though
often portrayed by unfriendly hands, prejudice
has not been able to obscure their glory or tarnish

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS 65

their fame. England's prestige would have suf-
fered if these illustrious names had never been
inscribed on her roll of honor.

Walk, my brethren, in the footsteps of your
pious ancestors. Let it be your aim in life that
the Church's heavenly mission of giving light to
them that sit in darkness, and of comforting the
broken-hearted, may increase day by day, until
England's future achievements for God and coun-
try may equal, if not surpass, her former record,
even as Jerusalem's new temple excelled the old.

** Arise, be enlightened, 0 Jerusalem, for thy
light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen
upon thee. The Gentiles shall walk in thy light,
and kings in the brightness of thy rising. Lift up
thine eyes round about and see : all these are gath-
ered together, they are come to thee : thy sons shall
come from afar, and thy daughters shall rise up
at thy side. Then shalt thou see and abound, and
thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged, when the
multitude of the sea shall be converted to thee,
the strength of the Gentiles shall come to thee.*'
May these words of Isaiah be a prophecy of the
good things yet to be revealed to the Church in
England, as well as a vision of her past glory.

Take a loyal, personal interest in all that con-
cerns the temporal and spiritual welfare of your
cherished country. No one should be a drone in
the social hive. Let no man be an indifferent

66 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

spectator of the civil and political events occur-
ring around him. When we are enrolled in the
army of the Lord, our duty to our country is not
diminished, but increased. As you all enjoy the
protection of a strong and enlightened govern-
ment, so should each man have a share in sus-
taining the burden of the Commonwealth.

Above all, take an abiding and a vital interest
in all that affects the welfare of your holy religion.
Let the words of the Psalmist be your inspiring
watchword: '*If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let
my right hand be forgotten. Let my tongue cleave
to the roof of mv mouth, if I do not remember
thee, if I make not Jerusalem the beginning of
my joy.''

And now, my Dear Archbishop, I beg to assure
your Grace, that I am not using any conventional
phrase when I offer you my hearty congratula-
tions on the consummation of your cherished
wishes after the many months of anxious thought
to which you have been subjected.

If I may estimate your future career by the en-
lightened zeal and healthy progress which have
already marked your administration of this Metro-
politan See, 1 have every reason to believe that
you will leave after you a record worthy of the
three illustrious Prelates that have preceded you.

It must be a source of profound gratification
to you to be surrounded on this solemn and joyous

EUCHAKISTIC CONGRESS • 67

occasion by so many eminent Cardinals, by your
Brethren of the Episcopate and of the Clergy of
the British Isles, of various portions of the Conti-
nent of Europe and of North America and Mexico,
and by so many of the Catholic nobility, gentry and
people of England, assembled together under the
inspiration and invocation of the divine Shepherd
who is the Soul and Centre of our worship, and
who is to be ^'our reward exceeding great."

May this Eucharistic banquet of which we par-
take, increase in our hearts a greater love and de-
votion for Jesus Christ our Saviour, and for His
Vicar upon earth; may it draw us all. Bishops,
Priests and People more closely in the bonds of
Christian fellowship and brotherhood; and may
this Love-Feast be an earnest and foretaste of the
heavenly banquet at which we shall recline with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
heaven, to be forever * inebriated with the plenty
of God's house, and to drink of the torrent of
delights. ^ '

DEDICATION

ST. MARY'S CHURCH

HOBOKEN, N. J.

SERMON DEDICATION OF ST. MARY'S

CHURCH, HOBOKEN, N. J..

NOVEMBER, 1878.

II Paralip vil, 15-16.

TO build a churcli for the worship of the Al-
mighty, is an honor, a duty, and a bless-
ing.
In the first place, so honorable and so noble is
the work of erecting a house to the Lord, that in
the Old Law when it was a question of raising up
a temple to the Most High, the enterprise was con-
ceived by one king, was carried into execution
by another, and was decorated and repaired by a
third. King David conceived the plan; king Sol-
omon built the temple ; king Joas and other kings
repaired and adorned it.

And so in the Christian dispensation, from the
days of Constantine, and for many centuries after-
ward, it was Kings and Emperors and Princes, in
conjunction with the chief pastors of the Church
that almost exclusively exercised the glorious priv-
ilege of raising up in their respective dominions,
grand Basilicas, many of which survive to this day,

68

ST. MARY'S, HOBOKEN 69

and attest the piety and zeal of their royal foun-
ders. The Constantines of New Rome, the Edwards
of England, the Margarets of Scotland, the Louises
of France, the Elizabeths and Stephens of Hun-
gary, the Canutes of Denmark made their reigns
conspicuous by the monuments of piety which they
erected in their kingdoms.

But times have changed, and a prerogative
which was formerly exercised chiefly by crowned
heads, is now handed over to the people. What
kings and queens alone could do of old, you may
now do and have done, in erecting this church to
Almighty God, and although you have not royal
wealth, you have proved by your generous offer-
ings, that you have royal hearts; (and I am sure
the liberality you have displayed is but an earnest
of what you will yet accomplish, when you shall be
called upon to contribute to the erection of a more
imposing structure to supersede the present
edifice). And like Cato when in his old age, he
looked with pride upon the wide-spreading trees
which his own hands had planted in his youth,
so will you one day, point with exulting hearts, to
the imposing church which will be the work of your
hands, and which, as the outgrowth of this struc-
ture, will give shelter to thousands of worshiping
Christians and from which they will be nourished
with the Bread of Life.

2nd. In erecting this house of prayer, you

70 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

not only exercise an exalted prmlege, but you per-
form also a most sacred duty of gratitude, for
we should never forget that we have nothing which.
is essentially our own. We possess only borrowed
goods, of which we have but a temporary and un-
certain lease. ^^AVhat hast thou that thou hast
not received!" Everything that exists is the ab-
solute property of God. ''The earth is the Lord's
and the fulness thereof." Your goods belong to
Jlim. Your body with all its senses belongs to
Him, for, it is the work of His hand. ''Thy
hands, 0 Lord," says the Psalmist, "have framed
and fashioned me." Your soul with all its facul-
ties comes directly from Him. Nay, your very life
is the gift of His mercy, and will be taken away at
His good pleasure. God has no need then of your
goods, nor does He need your worship; myriads
of unseen angels minister to Him on earth, as they
do in heaven.

Nevertheless He vouchsafes to be pleased with
the pious offering you have made Him of this
house of worship, just as a father joyfully accepts
from his child, a present as a mark of filial affec
tion, though bought with money which he himself
had given to his child. Our Saviour accepted with
satisfaction the gifts of the Magi, though He had
no need of them. And 0 ! How joyfully He accepted
that first humble temple where the carpet was of
straw, the altar a manger, and the very temple

ST. MAEY'S, HOBOKEN 71

itself a stable. *'He came unto His own and His
own received Him not." You have not so re-
ceived Him. For it is not the costliness of the gift
which delights our Lord, but it is the loving heart
which presents it. He desired to come among men,
and Our Lady and St. Joseph gave Him the best
that they had, and so have you. He desired to
dwell in your midst, for ^*His desire is to dwell
with the children of men." And you have built
Him this house adorned with the best which your
piety could provide. And you have cheerfully
responded to the call of your Pastor, as the chil-
dren of Israel responded to the call of Moses when
they poured in upon him their gold and silver and
precious stones for the adornment of the taber-
nacle in the desert.

But in erecting this church, you discharge not
only a duty of gratitude to God, but also a duty of
religion. You pay back to ^Hhe Giver of all good
gifts," not only a portion of what belongs to Him,
but you pay to Him also the tribute of your praise,
of your devotion and the supreme worship which
is His due. You make a sublime act of faith in the
existence of God, His superintending Providence,
His supreme dominion. Upon the cross sur-
mounting this church, and upon this altar, you
write in bold and legible words :

**I believe in God, the Father Almighty, and
in Jesus Christ, His only Son. I believe in the

n A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

Holy Ghost, in the Holy Catholic Church and in
Life Everlasting.''

Henceforth every act performed in this house
will be a recognition of God's sovereignty, and a
sacred link binding you to your Father in heaven.
Hither you will come day after day to present
your petitions to that Heavenly Father, and to re-
ceive favors at His hands.

Here your children at the sacred font of baptism,
will be made the fellow-citizens of the saints, and
free-born children of God.

Here they will be enrolled in eonfirmation,
among the militia of Christ, and strengthened to
fight the battles of the Lord.

Here you will be nourished with the Bread of
Life in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Here you will appear as self-accusing sinners
before that merciful tribunal which was estab-
lished not to condemn but to save.

Here young men and maidens will have their
marriage union blessed by God's appointed priest.

And as after entering into life, the waters of
baptism will here be poured on your children's
heads, so when they have passed into death, will
penitential prayers and tears be poured on them
here, before they are consigned to the dust from
which they came.

And here God's holy law will be proclaimed to
you. The same commandments that were given

ST. MARY'S, HOBOKEN 73

to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai, these are
the commandments that will be preached to you.
The same prophetic warnings that were once
uttered on the mountain of Sinai, shall be re-
peated to you. The same blessed Gospel of Peace
that was delivered on the mount by our Saviour,
even that same Gospel shall be delivered to you.
The same holy lessons of morality and wisdom
that were announced by the Apostles, shall be also
announced to you. The same doctrine that Saint
Peter preached in Eome, Saint Paul in Athens,
Saint John in Ephesus, Saint Andrew in Thrace,
Saint Chrysostom in Constantinople, Saint Augus-
tine in England, Saint Patrick in Ireland, these
and no others are the instructions that shall be
placed before you for your acceptance, without ad-
dition, without substraction, without change, for
''Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and
forever. ' '

Advantages: But moreover in erecting this
house of prayer, you not only discharge a duty of
gratitude and religion towards God, but you also
confer inestimable advantages on yourselves and
on posterity. If the man who causes a blade of
grass to grow, where none grew before, benefits
his race, what countless blessings do you confer on
society by causing this edifice to spring up in your
midst in which human souls are to be nourished by
heavenly food. Let your imagination in its high-

U A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

est flight and broadest range, picture to itself the
vast number of persons who from this day forth
into the distant future, will be regenerated in the
waters of baptism in this church, strengthened in
confirmation, and fed by the Bread of Life. Visua-
lize if you can, the long line of penitents who will
enter here with crushed and bleeding hearts, and
who will go out healed by the balm of Divine con-
solation, restored to the friendship of God and
reconciled to their enemies; who will have their
passions subdued, and the peace of God whicli sur-
passeth all understanding, planted in their hearts.
Enumerate the catalogue of sermons that will be
preached from this sanctuary, and the instructions
that will be imparted to your children and to your
children's children. Place before you this vast
amount of good to be accomplished. Contemplate
those streams of grace ever flowing from this altar,
and then and not till then, can you realize the bless-
ings bestowed on posterity by the ceremony of
today.

But if the erection of this church will redound
to the welfare of posterity, it will also prove a
source of signal blessings to yourselves. Holy
Scripture says that ^Hhey who instruct others
unto justice, will shine like stars for all eternity."
"And, as it is your pious offerings that have en-
abled your Pastor to build this church and to
announce in it the word of God, so will you share

ST. MARY'S, HOBOKEN 75

in the reward of those whose office it is to instruct
the faithful.

God's Holy Word abounds with examples of
divine favors bestowed upon those who were in-
strumental in erecting a house of God. David
conceived the pious project of building a temple
to the Almighty, and the Lord rewarded his devout
intention by promising to perpetuate his kingdom.
Solomon carried into execution the religious de-
sign of his father by founding a magnificent
temple, and the Lord blessed him with a degree
of supernatural wisdom which was never sur-
passed and never equalled, and renewed to him
the promise He had made to his father David, of
prolonging his kingdom on condition that he
would faithfully follow the divine precepts. And
if God's promises were but partially fulfilled, it
was because Solomon had violated the conditions
to which the divine promises were annexed, and
had defiled the temple of God by the introduction
of the abomination of idolatry.

It is related in the Gospel that the elders of the
Jews went once to Jesus, asking Him to heal a
favorite servant of the centurian who was dan-
gerously ill with the palsy. And what was the
motive which they urged upon our Lord for the
exercise of His clemency: *^ Grant, 0 Lord, the
prayer of the centurian,'' they exclaimed, ^^For
he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a syna-

76 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

gogue.'' They might have told our Saviour that
the centurian was an affectionate husband and a
kind father, and a humane master ; that he was a
benefactor to the poor. But they merely said,
**He hath built us a synagogue, '^ or house of
prayer, and their petition was answered. The
servant was instantly healed.

My dear brethren, if our Lord was so kind to
the centurian who had built merely a sjraagogue,
will He be less kind to you who have erected this
house of prayer in which He will perpetually
dwell? If a cup of water given in the name of
Christ is not without its reward, what may you
not expect who have caused the waters of Divine
Grace to flow perennially within these walls from
the fountain of the Saviour I

If the house of Obededom was blessed because
the ark of the Lord once rested there, what favors
may you not receive who have built a house in
which the Lord of the ark may continually dwell.

If David and Solomon were so acceptable to
God for planning and erecting and adorning the
Jewish temple, will not your fervent prayers be
answered who have aided your Pastor in building
a Christian church? For, as far as the new law
surpasses the old, so far does the Christian church
excel in holiness- the Jewish temple. The former
contained but the Tables of the Law and the Ark

ST. MARY'S, HOBOKEN 77

of the Covenant, while the latter contains the Law-
giver Himself and the Lord of the Covenant.

But I should not be expressing your feelings
nor mine on this occasion, if, in commending the
laity, I should overlook the name of your Pastor.
If so much credit is due to you for your generous
material aid, how much greater reward is merited
by this good priest who has been the heart and
soul of this enterprise, who has collected your
offerings with so much labor, has expended them
with so much judgment and discretion, and who has
superintended the construction of this building
with as much zeal as Nebemias superintended the
rebuilding of Solomon's temple from its founda-
tion to its happy completion.

May the success which has attended him in
erecting this material edifice, crown his efforts in
building up in your hearts the spiritual edifice of
faith, and adorning that true temple of God with
the precious ornament of Divine Grace, *'That
Christ may dwell in your hearts, that being rooted
in charity you may be able to comprehend with all
the saints what is the breadth and length and
heighth and depth of the love of Christ" for you.
For, remember, that the noblest edifice ever raised
by the hands of man to the glory of God, is but an
empty shell compared with the temple of the soul
when it is illumined by faith and adorned with
virtue.

78 A EETKOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

And as you have co-operated with your Pastor
in the past, so may you continue to do in the future.
May your hearts ever beat in unison with his, for
you know well that his whole life is sacrificed for
you, and that he can truly say with the apostle,
^*Most gladly will I spend and be spent for your
souls." If he prays, it is for you; if he preaches,
it is to you; if he administers the sacrament it is
that you may be sanctified thereby ; if he offers up
the holy sacrifice of the mass it is that he may
draw down blessings upon those who are still in
the flesh, and eternal rest for your dear ones who
have passed beyond the vale of tears. His labors by
night and day, his watchings, his self-denials, all — •
all are for you.

Come often, then, to worship here ; to invoke the
protection of God and the pious patronage of your
patron saint ; and as a reward for your piety, may
the God of all consolation whisper to you what He
said to Solomon of old: **My eyes shall be open
and my ears shall be attentive to the prayer of
him that shall pray in this place. For I have
chosen and sanctified this place that My name may
be here forever and My eyes and heart may remain
here perpetually."

PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF
POPE LEO XIII

,'

PERSONAL REMINISCENSES OF POPE LEO XIII:
SERMON PREACHED IN THE BALTI-
MORE CATHEDRAL, APRIL, 1902.

FOE nearly two thousand years the Bishop of
Eome has been the most conspicuous figure
in the theatre of public life. The name of
the Sovereign Pontiff is indelibly marked on the
pages of ecclesiastical history. It is intimately
and inseparably associated with the progress,
enlightment and Christian civilization of the
world. The Pope ever stands before us as the
Commander-in-Chief of the army of the Lord of
hosts. One might as well shut out the light of day
and the air of heaven from his daily walks, as
exclude the Roman Pontiff from his legitimate and
paramount sphere in the hierarchy of the Church.
The history of the United States with the Presi-
dents left out would be more intelligible than the
history of the Christian religion with the omission
of the name of the Vicar of Christ.

The supremacy of Peter's successor confronts
ns at every step in our historical researches. Down
the ages, whenever a Bishop of the Church felt

79

80 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

aggrieved by the domineering conduct of his col-
leagues or by the persecution of the civil rulers,
Ee had recourse to Kome, as the highest and final
court of appeal, and he was sure to have his griev-
ances redressed.

All the great Fathers and Doctors of the East-
ern as well as the Western Church, such as Basil,
Cyril, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Augustine and
Jerome, recognized and revered the supreme juris-
diction of the See of Eome.

Up to the present time, twenty General or
Ecumenical Councils have been held in the Church.
They are so called because they are concerned
with the interests of religion throughout the world.
The First General Council was held at Nice, in the
Fourth Century; and the last was the Vatican
Council which assembled in the Nineteenth Cen-
tury. The Bishops of Eome convoked all these
Councils or at least assented to their convocation.
They presided in person or by their legates over
nearly all of them, and the decrees which were
framed had not the force of law until they were
approved by the Holy See.

To take another instance from history in proof
of the controlling influence of the Papacy in the
government and the expansion of the Church: It
is a remarkable fact that almost everv nation hith-
erto converted to Christianity has received the
light of Faith from missionaries either specially

POPE LEO XIII 81

commissioned by the See of Eome or in open com-
munion with that See.

Augustine, who converted England, was sent by
Pope St. Gregory. St. Patrick, who converted Ire-
land, was sent by Pope Celestine. The mission-
aries who went from Ireland to Scotland, and who
converted Northern England, from Scotland, were
in open communion with the Apostolic See, as was
also Boniface — or to give him his English name,
Winfrid — the Englishman who became the Apos-
tle of Germany and Bavaria. Even Eussia, schis-
matic as she is, now looks to Cyril and Methodius
as her Apostles, and they were sent from Eome,
and from Eome received permission to celebrate
the Mass and the divine office in the ancient Slavic
tongue, a permission which the Slavic Churches
of the Greek Eite and a few of the Latin Eite still
enjoy.

In the Sixteenth and the Seventeenth Centuries,
the Indies, Japan and our own Western Continent
owe their evangelization to men sent out from the
same centre of authority. Here in North America
they explored our lakes, our rivers and our moun-
tains, everywhere carrying the torch of Faith to
the aboriginal tribes, but always they exercised
their ministry in subjection to and by the author-
ity of the Bishop of Eome, the Vicar of Jesus
Christ.

And should not every impartial man gratefully

82 A RETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

acknowledge that even those Christians of the
United States who are now separated from com-
munion with the See of Eome, are primarily
indebted to the successors of Peter for the Chris-
tianity they possess? For, all the white inhab-
itants of our country are descended from some
European nation, and every nation of Europe, as
we have seen, received the Faith of Christ from
apostolic men who were in active communion with
the See of Eome.

As we are commemorating today the diamond
jubilee of our Holy Father, Leo XIII, it is proper
that I should make some special allusion to the life
of that illustrious Pontiff.

Joachim Pecci — the family name of the Pope —
was born on the second of March, 1810. He has,
consequently, entered on his ninety-third year, and
has almost spanned a century. My revered prede-
cessor, Archbishop Spalding, died upwards of
thirty years ago, and at the time of his death he
was venerable in years and in appearance, for his
hair was silvered with age. Yet had he lived to
this day, he would be a younger man than Leo. His
Holiness was ordained a priest in December, 1837,
and was consecrated Archbishop in 1843, nearly
sixty years ago. He was already an Archbishop
before the vast majority of this congregation were
born, and he has already lived longer in the epis-
copacy than any of his predecessors. He was

POPE LEO XIII 83

created a Cardinal in 1853, and was raised to
the Chair of Peter in 1878. Only two Popes have
exceeded Leo in longevity — ^Agatho and Gregory
IX — and only three Supreme Pontiffs have ruled
the universal Church for a longer period ; namely,
St. Peter, Pius VII and Pius IX, and if Leo sur-
vives another year, he will have been Bishop of
Eome longer than even Peter and Pius VII.*

Of the two hundred and sixty Popes who have
sat in the Chair of Peter, few of them have exerted
a wider and more beneficent influence on the social,
the political and the religious world than the
Pontiff now happily reigning. He is a consum-
mate statesman as well as an enlightened church-
man.

In the course of his Pontificate, he has issued a
series of masterly and luminous Encyclicals which
have served as moral landmarks to his spiritual
children and have commanded the respect and
admiration of the civilized world. They always
discuss topics of timely and vital interest. In the
brief space at my disposal, I have time to refer
only to three of these public letters.

The first Encyclical to which I shall allude is on
*' Christian Marriage," which was published in
1880. The Holy Father vindicates in strong and

* Leo XIII died July 20, 1903, in the ninety-fourth year of
his age, and, consequently, the term of his Pontificate has
exceeded those of all his predecessors except that of Pius IX.

84 A RETROSPECT OF EIFTY YEARS

earnest language the nnity, the sanctity and the
indissolubility of the marriage bond. He tells us
that the married couple are the source of the fam-
ily, and the family is the source of society. Social
life cannot be maintained in its purity and integ-
rity, unless it is sanctified at the fountain-head of
the home.

The Encyclical ^^On the Condition of Work-
men*' was promulgated in 1891, and is an exhaus-
tive document on the rights and duties of the
laboring classes. Never did the Kedeemer of man-
kind confer a greater temporal blessing on human-
ity than by ennobling and sanctifying manual labor
and by rescuing it from the degradation which had
been attached to it.

Christ comes into the world, not surrounded by
the pomp and splendor of imperial majesty, but
He appears as the reputed son of an artisan:
''Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary^' the
people said of Him. He has shed a halo around
the work-shop, and has lightened the workman's
tools by assuming the trade of an artisan.

If the professions of a Soldier, of a Jurist and
of a Prelate are dignified by the examples of a
Washington, a Taney and a Carroll, how much,
more is the calling of a mechanic ennobled by the
example of Christ!

A conflict between labor and capital is as unrea-
sonable as would be a contention between the head

POPE LEO XIII ^ 85

and the hands. The interests of capital and labor
are correlative. Capital without labor would be
unproductive. Labor without capital would be
unprofitable. What would it avail a capitalist to
say: Behold, this mountain of coal is mine, if
there were no hardy sons of toil to extract the
coal from its recesses and send it to the market?
What would it profit the laborer to exhibit his
brawny arms and his skill, if there were no cap-
italist to give him employment?

The third Encyclical to which I shall allude,
appeared in 1885 and treats of *^The Constitution
of Christian States. ' * In this document the Holy
Father clearly demonstrates that the Catholic
Church can adapt herself to all forms of civil
government. When I was invited to Rome by the
Pope in 1887 to receive the insignia of a Cardinal,
I delivered an address in the Church of Santa
Maria in Trastevere, my titular Church; and as I
took the Encyclical for the text of my remarks, I
cannot do better than to give the following abstract
of the sermon which was pronounced on that occa-
sion: *'Our Holy Father, in his luminous En-
cylical on the Constitution of Christian States,
declares that the Church is not committeed to any
particular form of civil government. She adapts
herself to all. She leavens all with the leaven of
the Gospel. She has lived under absolute empires,
under constitutional monarchies and in free repub-

86 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

lies ; and everywhere slie grows and expands. She
has often been hampered in her Divine mission,
she has been forced to struggle for existence wher-
ever despotism casts its dark shadow, like a plant
excluded from the blessed sunlight of heaven.
But she blossoms like a rose in the genial air
of liberty. ' '

*'For myself, as a citizen of the United States,
and without closing my eyes to our shortcomings
as a nation, I say with a deep sense of national
pride and gratitude that I belong to a country
where the civil government holds over us the aegis
of its protection without interfering with us in the
legitimate exercises of our mission as ministers of
the Gospel of Christ. Our country enjoys liberty
regulated by law, and exercises authority with-
out depotism. She rears no wall to exclude the
stranger from coming among us. She has no
frowning fortifications to repel an invader. She
rests secure in the consciousness of her strength
and her good will toward all."

**Her harbors are open to welcome the honest
immigrant — who comes to advance his temporal
interests and to find a peaceful home amongst us.

''But while we are acknowledged to have a free
government, perhaps we do not receive the credit
that belongs to us for possessing also a strong
government. Yes, our nation is strong, and her
strength lies, under the overruling guidance of

POPE LEO XIII 87

Providence, in the majesty and supremacy of the
law, in the loyalty of her citizens, and in the affec-
tion of her people for her free institutions. There
are indeed grave social problems engaging the
attention of the citizens of the United States ; but
I have no doubt that, with God's blessing, these
problems will be solved by the calm judgment and
sound sense of the American people, without viol-
ence or revolution or any injury to individual
rights/'

Before I conclude I would like to refer briefly
to some of my personal recollections of the Holy
Father. During my episcopal career I have visited
Eome six times, and on each occurrence I have
met the present Pope. My first visit to Eome was
on the occasion of the Vatican Council in 1869.
The Holy Father was then known as Cardinal
Pecci, Archbishop of Perugia. His image is now
before me as he appeared during the Council. He
impressed me then as a courtly Prelate of a strik-
ing personality, as a man who would be singled
out as a conspicuous churchman in a group of
eminent ecclesiastics.

As the youngest Bishop in the Council I was
naturally very much interested in its prominent
members, and I noticed that while Cardinal Pecci
never spoke in any of the general congregations,
he was one of the Cardinals most consulted in
private. He made his influence deeply felt, and

88 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

this was not only tlie influence of a striking per-
sonality but it was also the influence of a deeply
learned theologian and of a saintly Prelate.

My next visit to Eome was in 1880, two years
after Leo was elected to the Chair of Peter. I
well remember with what eagerness and delight
I determined to thank the Holy Father for having
invested John Henry Newman with the sacred
purple. Few official acts of the Soverign Pontiff
were received with more genuine satisfaction by
the English-speaking world than this practical and
graceful recognition of the eminent services ren-
dered to religion by England's illustrious scholar
and divine.

During the same summer, in company with
Bishop Curtis, I paid a visit to Cardinal Newman
at his home in Edgbaston near Birmingham. We
breakfasted with him and spent the morning with
him in the most entertaining conversation. I need
not say with what keen pleasure I listened to the
wealth of anecdote and narrative that flowed so
abundantly from his well-stored mind.

The third time I met Leo XIII was in the
fall of 1883 and the spring of 1884. The Holy
Father had invited the Archbishops of the United
States to Eome for the purpose of holding a series
of Conferences with three of the most learned
Eoman Cardinals. These Conferences formed the
basis of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore

POPE LEO XIII 89

which was held in November, 1884, and which was
the most numerous and important assemblage of
Bishops that met outside of the Eternal City for
three centuries.

My fourth visit to the Holy Father was in 1887
when his Holiness invited me to Eome to confer
on me the unmerited honor of the Cardinalitial
insignia. During my sojourn in Eome that year,
as well as on other occasions, the Pope bestowed
upon me many marks of his paternal affection and
friendship. These many evidences of his Sov-
ereign benevolence are too sacred for public utter-
ance, but they are indelibly imprinted on my heart
and memory.

I again saw the Holy Father in 1895, and lastly
in the Summer of 1901. I perceived little alteration
in his appearance, except that his form appeared
to be more bent and his emaciated face was almost
as white and transparent as an alabaster statue.
But his eye retained the brightness and penetra-
tion, his mind, the vigor and lucidity of former
years, and his memory was strikingly retentive,
as was evident from several incidents which oc-
curred in my presence. On one occasion I intro-
duced to his Holiness a young married couple from
Quebec. As soon as I mentioned Quebec, the Pope
remarked: *^0h, you are under the jurisdiction
of Archbishop Begin. " He added: **Monsignor
Begin is the successor of Cardinal Taschereau."

90 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

Then turning to me, lie said: *' Cardinal Tasch-
ereau received the Red Hat with your Eminence.''
We may judge of the accuracy of his retentive
faculty from the consideration that upwards of
fourteen years had expired since this incident
occurred.

On another occasion I accompanied his Holiness
while he was giving an audience, in the Aula Clem-
entina to visitors from various parts of the Chris-
tian world. The Pope asked a lady, surrounded by
her children, whence she came. She replied by giv-
ing the name of a Spanish city. He at once re-
marked: *'You have recently lost your Bishop."
We cannot but admire this retentive memory,
when we consider that the Pope is in frequent com-
munication with upwards of one thousand Bishops
scattered throughout the globe.

In 1887, when the Holy Father was celebrating
the golden jubilee of his priesthood, congratula-
tions were offered to him by nearly all the govern-
ments of the world. During the festivities at
Rome, I was agreeably surprised on receiving an
autograph letter from Grover Cleveland, Presi-
dent of the United States, requesting me to convey
his felicitations to Pope Leo, on the occasion of his
jubilee. I immediately called on the President to
thank him for his most acceptable message; and
he supplemented his courteous act by forwarding
to me a few days afterward, an elegantly bound

POPE LEO XIII 91

copy of the Constitution of the United States, to
be presented to His Holiness. I informed the
President that his gift was most opportune, as the
country was commemorating that year, the hun-
dredth anniversary of the adoption of the Consti-
tution.

I know not whether Providence will spare me
to pay homage to other Supreme Pontiffs, but
whether my life be short or long, or whatever may
be the future line of Popes sitting on the Chair
of Peter, I shall always cherish a special filial
affection and the tenderest memories of Leo XIII.

Let us unite in praying for him in the words of
the Eoyal Psalmist and which will be chanted at
the close of the Mass: ''Dominus conservet eum
et vivificet eum, et heatum faciat eum in terra, et
non tradat eum in manus inimicorum ejus," May
the Lord preserve him and prolong his life and
make him blessed on the earth, and deliver him
not into the hands of his enemies.''

THE CONCLAVE WHICH
ELECTED PIUS X

SERMON ON THE CONCLAVE WHICH

ELECTED PIUS X, CATHEDRAL.

BALTIMORE. OCT. 4. 1 903.

YOU naturally expect me to make some brief
observations in reference to the recent Con-
clave which elected Pius X, and to the new
Pontiff who has been happily chosen to preside
over the Church of God.

Seventy members constitute the Sacred College,
when that body is complete. But the College rarely
attains that number, as between one Consistory
and another, several deaths are apt to intervene
among a body of men usually advanced in years.
At the time of the Conclave, the Cardinals
amounted to sixty-four members, of whom sixty-
two took part in the election of the Sovereign
Pontiff.

The following nations were represented in the
Sacred College: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal,
Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia,
Poland, Ireland, Australia, and the United States,
It was to be regretted, however, that the death of
Cardinals Taschereau and Vaughan, and the un-

92

POPE PIUS X 93

avoidable absence of Cardinal Moran, prevented
England, Canada and Australia from having a
voice in the Conclave. And had the election of a
Pope been held some years ago, the illustrious
Cardinals Newman and Manning would have
adorned the venerable Senate by their learning
and experience.

The Conclave which elevated Pius X to the
Chair of Peter, marks a new and important era in
the annals of the American Catholic Church. This
was the first time in the history of the Christian
religion that the United States, or any part of this
Western Hemisphere, was ever associated with the
other nations of Christendom in selecting a succes-
sor to the Prince of the Apostles.

I would not at all be surprised if in a subsequent
Conclave the Catholic Church of the United States
will be represented by several members of the
Sacred College,* so that the number of Cardinals
from our country may be commensurate with the
population, the grandeur and the commanding in-
fluence of the nation, and may be in keeping also
with the numerical strength of our hierarchy and
laity, and the splendor and progress of our relig-
ious and charitable institutions.

* This actually came to pass upon the election of our present
Holy Father, Benedict XV, Counting Cardinal Falconio, who
is an American citizen, four American Cardinals went to the
Conclave.

94 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

At tlie time of the Conclave, and for weeks pre-
ceding it, Eome was full of newspaper reporters
gathered from various parts of the civilized world.
They were there to furnish the earliest news to the
journals which they represented. The great ma-
jority of these journalists were men of truth and
honor. But a few of them who could not obtain
trustworthy facts, or because they regarded facts
as less savory than fiction, yielded to the tempta-
tion of making statements which were the off-
spring of their fancy. The more spicy the dish
which they served to their patrons, the more
eagerly it was devoured.

In the judgment of mankind, the Cardinals of
the Church are acknowledged to be generally men
of a high order of intelligence, of great discretion,
of large experience, and of integrity of character.
In these respects I believe they are not surpassed,
if they are equalled, by any deliberative body in
the whole world.

The Cardinals, however, are not angels, but men,
subject to the usual infirmities and temptations of
flesh and blood. And because they are not exempt
from the frailties incident to mankind, and because
of the peerless dignity of the Supreme Pontificate,
as well as of the tremendous responsibility it in-
volves, every precaution that human ingenuity
and experience could suggest, had been availed of
in this, as in preceding conclaves, so that no cloud

POPE PIUS X 95

should rest over the election of the successful
candidate.

Such were the circumstances which marked the
election of our new chief Pastor who has assumed
the title of Pius X.

I was present at the Conclave and took part in
its proceedings, and without revealing its secrets,
I can most positively assure you and the American
people that the election of the Pope was conducted
with absolute freedom, with the utmost fairness
and impartiality, and with a dignity and solemnity
becoming the august assemblage of the Sacred
College, and the momentous consequences of their
suffrages.

I have witnessed debates in the British Parlia-
ment, in the French Chambers, and in both houses
of Congress, and I must candidly say that in
sobriety of language, and in courteous deportment
of members towards one another, the College of
Cardinals surpassed them all. And this is the
more noteworthy when we consider that some
twelve different nationalities, swayed by as many
national characteristics, were represented in the
Assembly. On leaving the Sistine Chapel, at the
conclusion of the Conclave, and contemplating the
over-ruling action of the Holy Ghost on these
heterogeneous elements, I exclaimed, **The finger
of Grod is here!"

Two ballots were cast each day in the Conclave,

96 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

one in tlie forenoon and another in the afternoon.
The votes for Cardinal Sarto steadily increased
from the first to the seventh ballot, on which he
was elected. When the Cardinal observed that the
suffrages for him were angmenting, he was visibly-
disturbed, and in a fervent speech he implored his
colleagues not to regard him as a candidate. Con-
trary to his wishes, the votes for him increased.
He then became alarmed and in a second speech in
most pathetic language, he again besought the
Cardinals to forget his name — ''Ohtestor vos,"
were his words, ^^ut nominis mei omnino ohli-
viscamini/' as he could not accept a burden too
heavy for him to bear. All were moved by the
modesty and transparent sincerity of the man.
When he resumed his seat, his cheeks were suf-
fused with blushes, tears were gushing from his
eyes, and his body trembled with emotion. It was
only after some of the leading Cardinals entreated
him to withdraw his opposition, that he finally
and reluctantly consented to abide by the will of
God and accept the sacrifice. Never did a prisoner
make greater efforts to escape from his confine-
ment than did Cardinal Sarto to escape from the
yoke of the Papacy. With his divine Master he
exclaimed: ^'Father, if it be possible let this
chalice pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will,
but Thine be done.'' When his election was offi-
cially announced, his florid countenance assumed a

POPE PIUS X 97

deathly pallor, and restoratives were applied to
save him from fainting. So little did Cardinal
Sarto expect to be the choice of his colleagues, that
on setting out for Eome he is said to have pur-
chased a return ticket to his home in Venice.

Pius X is in his sixty-ninth year. He is of the
same age that Leo XIII had attained, when he
ascended the Papal chair. He has had a large and
varied experience in the sacred ministry. He con-
secutively filled the offices of assistant priest, of
pastor, of chancellor, and vicar-general. He was
elected afterwards to the See of Mantua, the home
of the illustrious Virgil. He was subsequently
promoted to the patriarchal See of Venice.

The virtues of humility, sincerity, candor and
benevolence, were stamped on his features. I can
characterize him in one sentence by saying that
^'he is a man of God and a man of the people.''
His name was idolized in Venice and along the
Adriatic on account of his charities towards the
poor.

We need not be surprised at the emotion of the
Pope when his election was announced, for he was
called to the most sublime position to which any
man on earth can aspire.

The Papacy is the most ancient of all existing
dynasties. It had flourished for centuries, when
the oldest empire now existing was established. A
Pontiff sat in the Chair of Peter, when England

98 A RETEOSPECT OE FIFTY YEAES

was a Eoman colony, and her inhabitants were a
rude and uncultivated people, unacquainted with
the arts and refinements of civilized life. Pius X
is the two hundred and sixty-fourth Pope who,
under Christ, has been called to rule the Church
of God.

The empire of the Pontiffs is co-extensive with
the globe, embracing children of every clime and
race and tongue; combining in one homogeneous
body the most diverse national characteristics
and temperaments. It has been justly said that the
sun never sets in British possessions. It can be
also affirmed with equal truth that wherever the
British flag is raised, there also you will find Chris-
tians who bow with filial submission to the spirit-
ual supremacy of the Pope.

The influence of the Papacy is more far-reaching
than that of any earthly ruler. Kings and emper-
ors and civil magistrates exact external compli-
ance with the laws of the land. They cannot con-
trol the sanctuary of the heart. The Sovereign
Pontiff, though he has no army to enforce his
commands, makes and interprets laws which bind
the consciences of men.

The rule of the successors of Peter has been the
most beneficent in the cause of civilization and
humanity. When the Roman Empire was dis-
solved, the ark of the Church, under the guidance
of the Sovereign Pontiffs, floated triumphantly on

POPE PIUS X 99

the troubled waters beneath which the monuments
of centuries had lain entombed.

The Papacy has contributed more than any civil-
government to the intellectual progress of man-
kind. If Europe is today immeasurably in advance
of Asia, in literature, in the arts and sciences, is it
not because Europe was more in touch than Asia
with the Eoman Pontiff, and felt the impress of
of his strong but tender hand?

Were it not for the unceasing vigilance of the
Bishops of Rome, the crescent instead of the cross
would have surmounted the domes and temples of
Europe; Mohammedanism instead of Christianity
would be the dominant religion of that continent,
and our fathers who came from Europe would
have brought with them their religion and their
laws from the Koran instead of the Bible.

Among the Pontiffs who have sat in the Chair
of Peter for the last three centuries, Leo XIII,
whom Pius X succeeded, stands pre-eminent. He
has indelibly stamped the impress of his name and
genius on the civilized world. He has written
Encyclicals to the nations of Christendom, treating
on the most momentous subjects of the day. He
has dealt not with abstract or speculative ques-
tions, but with topics affecting the social and polit-
ical as well as the moral and religious well-being of
the world. He has conclusively shown that he was
always in touch with humanity and could say with

100 A RETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

the Roman of old: '^Nil Jiumani a me alienum
pnto'' — "Every subject affecting tlie interests of
mankind is dear to me."

Need we therefore wonder that Leo's name was
revered and loved not only by his own spiritual
children, but also by persons of every creed, and
by every man who had at heart the uplifting of
his fellow-being.

While living, he was everywhere honored be-
cause his words were a tower of strength in the
cause of Christianity and stable government.
Kings, emperors, and princes of every belief vied
with one another in paying homage to him and in
visiting him. But what he more esteemed, he was
loved and cherished by the sovereign people.

We all know what intense interest was aroused
throughout the globe in his last illness. Every
varying phase of his sickness was flashed far and
wide. An anxious world was oscillating between
hope and fear, while the august patient was hover-
ing between life and death; and when the catas-
trophe came, the mourning was universal.

Leo has lifted up the Catholic Church to a higher
plane of dignity and strength than it had attained
since the days of Leo X. He has infused new life
into the missionary world. He has quickened with
renewed zeal every bishop, priest and layman that
fell within the scope of his influence. He has left

POPE PIUS X 101

to his successor the precious heritage of a blame-
less life and an Apostolic character.

What a subject of profound reflection is pre-
sented by the contrast between the funeral rites
of the late Pontiff, and the coronation of his suc-
cessor! All that was left on earth of the great
Leo at his obsequies were his emaciated and
shrivelled remains. That voice which had thrilled
millions throughout the world was hushed forever.
Those hands which were daily raised to bless, lay
motionless on his breast. The same liturgical
prayers were chanted, and the same sacrifice of
propitiation was offered for him that are employed
in behalf of the humblest layman. Supplications
were poured forth to the Throne of Grace, not for
Leo the saint, nor Leo the scholar and statesman,
but for Leo the humble penitent, who, like all the
children of Adam, could be saved only through
the redeeming merits of Jesus Christ.

On the Sunday after Leo's obsequies, the newly-
elected Pontiff was borne in triumph into St.
Peter's Basilica by liveried servants, amid en-
chanting music and the waving of ostrich plumes,
preceded by the College of Cardinals, and sur-
rounded by an immense multitude of bishops,
clergy and people who filled the capacious edifice
and whose number was estimated at fifty thou-
sand.

But another scene is presented which is calcu-

102 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

lated to sober the Pontiff amid the intoxicating
atmosphere which envelops him. A master of
ceremonies goes before the Pope with a wand to
which is attached a vase containing burning tow,
crying out from time to time : ^^Sic transit gloria
mundi/' (''Thus passeth away the glory of the
world.")

I am sure, however, that the humble Pontiff
did not need this reminder, nor was he elated or
dazzled by the splendor of the pageant; but like
his Master who wept on entering in triumph the
city of Jerusalem, Pius was overwhelmed by the
contemplation of the heavy cross he was destined
to bear through life. His was the only heart un-
moved among the fifty thousand spectators assem-
bled to honor him.

What a comentary is all this on the vanity of
human glory! How eloquently it proclaims the
truth that God alone is great, and that no honor
can satisfy man's ambition but that which is
eternal I

GOLDEN JUBILEE

OF

ARCHBISHOP ELDER

SERMON AT THE GOLDEN JUBILEE OF
ARCHBISHOP ELDER. JUNE 10. 1896.

"As Jesus went, they spread their garments in the way, and
the whole multitude of His disciples began with joy to praise
Gcd with a loud voice, for the mighty works which they had
seen, saying: Blessed be the King who cometh in the name of
the Lord. And some of the Pharisees said to Him: Master,
rebuke Thy disciples. And He said to them: I say to you that
If they should be silent, the stones will cry out." Luke xix,
36-40.

J

ESUS CHRIST our Saviour fled from honors
during His mortal life, embracing the humili-
ations of the Cross. Nevertheless on the
occasion referred to in the text, He does not dis-
dain to accept the homages that were bestowed on
Him. As He approaches the city of Jerusalem,
the people spread their garments on the way, and
the multitude of His disciples praise Him with a
loud voice, for the mighty works they had seen Him
perform, and they exclaim: ^* Blessed is the King
who cometh in the name of the Lord.'' The
Pharisees, who were always envious of our
Saviour's glory, asked Him to rebuke His dis-
ciples, and to stop the acclamations. But our Lord
gives this answer ; Let them alone. * * I say to you

103

104 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

that if they should be silent, the stones will cry
out.'' He wishes them to understand that in
accepting their tributes of praise, He was receiv-
ing only what was due to Him, as their Lord and
King.

On this morning, a large number of the distin-
guished Prelates of the United States, the clergy of
this diocese, and of other parts of the country, and
this immense multitude of the laity are assembled
to congratulate your venerable Archbishop on this
occasion of the golden jubilee of his priesthood.

I am sure that if the decision had rested with the
Archbishop himself, he would have preferred that
the event had been passed over in silence. But in
honoring him today, we are not only gratifying
the cherished wishes of our hearts, but we are
complying with a sacred and religious duty. And
if any one were to ask me: '^Why this ovation T'
I would answer in the words of our Lord: *^If we
were silent, the very stones of this Cathedral would
cry out against us, and rebuke us."

St. Paul declares that ^4he priests who have
ruled well, are worthy of double honor, especially
those who have labored in word and doctrine."
And the Scripture says elsewhere that *'he is
worthy of honor whom the king hath a mind to
honor." Observe how the King of kings has hon-
ored His Apostles who were the first priests of
the New Law. He honors them in the three most

ArvCIIBISIIOP ELDER 105

conspicuous ways that a master can glorify his
servants, He cherishes them by His special friend-
ship. "I will no longer," He says, ''call you ser-
vants ; for the servant knoweth not what his mas-
ter doeth; but I have called you friends, for all
things whatsoever I have heard of My Father, I
have made known to you."

He associates them with Himself in the final
judgment of men: "Ye shall sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel." And He
makes them his co-heirs in His eternal Kingdom :
**I go," He says, ''to prepare a place for you,
that where I am, ye also may be."

Christ confers on His priests two prerogatives
which transcend any earthly power. The priest is
the Ambassador of Christ: "For Christ," says the
Apostle, "'we are ambassadors, God as it were
exhorting you by us." If it is a great privilege
for any citizen of the United States to represent
his country in one of the courts of Europe, how
much greater is the prerogative of representing
the Court of Heaven before the nations of the
world! "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me in Judea,
and Samaria, and unto the uttermost bounds of the
earth."

What an honor to be the herald of God's laws
among the nations of the earth ! ' ' How beautiful
on the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth
glad tidings, and preacheth peace, that showeth

106 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

forth good and preachetli salvation, and saith to
Sion: Thy God shall reign.'' How cherished a
favor to be the bearer of the olive-branch of peace
to a world deluged by sin, and to proclaim that
Gospel which gives glory to God, and peace to man,
which converts the sinner, consoles the afflicted,
and holds out to all the blessed promises of eternal
life ! But the Christian priest has a still greater
privilege and a still higher honor.

*'No act that man can perform," says St.
Thomas, '4s greater than the consecration of the
Body of Christ." And even Carlyle declares that
no function in life is so sublime as that of a priest.
He says: '^ Though you are the meanest in God's
hierarchy, is it not honor enough to spend, and to
be spent for His sake f '

The priest whom we honor today, **has spent,
and been spent" for the welfare of his fellow-
beings. For fifty years he has preached the Gos-
pel, and has offered up with a clean heart the im-
maculate Lamb upon the altar. And now Bishops
and Priests come to place with loving hands a
wreath on his brow ; and the faithful delight to lay
garlands at his feet, as a tribute of their admir-
ation and filial affection.

The Elder family is an old and honored name
in Maryland. They came from Lancashire, Eng-
land, to Maryland with the early followers of Lord
Baltimore. The immediate ancestors of the Arch-

ARCHBISHOP ELDER 107

bishop settled in Western Maryland, about the year
1730 ; and if the tradition is correct, the first Mass
that was ever celebrated in Frederick County, was
said in the home of William Elder, the great-grand-
father of the Archbishop. I had the privilege of
meeting the Archbishop's father when he was
approaching the patriarchal age of ninety years.
He served in the war of 1812, and the sword which
he wore is preserved as an heirloom in the family.

If any man has the right to claim the privileges
of an American citizen, that man is William Henry
Elder. When Paul was threatened with being
scourged for preaching the Gospel, he protested
against the outrage, because he was a Eoman citi-
zen. Then the Eoman officer said to him apologet-
ically: ^^I also am a Eoman citizen, I bought this
title with a great price.'' *^And I," replied Paul,
**am a citizen, not by purchase, but by birthright."

You will find in our day, some men crossing the
Canadian line, or coming from Europe, who are
scarcely naturalized when they manifest the ani-
mus of inflicting, if they could, civil and religious
disabilities on men like the Archbishop who are to
the manner born, and whose fathers were citizens
before them. But against all such aggressors we
will protest, and say what Naboth said to the king
of Syria: *'God forbid that I could surrender the
heritage of my fathers."

Like many other Christian Prelates, Archbishop

108 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

Elder is under God, indebted for Ms apostolic
spirit, to the piety and edifying life of his saintly
mother. Father David, afterward Bishop of
Bardstown, was her spiritual director. After he
moved to Kentucky, he continued to correspond
with her ; and the letters that passed between them,
reveal an elevation of Christian sentiment which
makes them worthy of being compared with the let-
ters of St. Francis de Sales to St. Jane de Chantal.

William Henry Elder was only eleven years old
when he entered Mount St. Mary's College, Em-
mitsburg, which has been justly styled the fruitful
nursery of Bishops. He there pursued his clas-
sical course, and afterward studied philosophy
and theology in the same institution. After receiv-
ing Deaconship, he proceeded to the famous Col-
lege of the Propaganda in Eome, where he com-
pleted his Divinity course, and was ordained priest
in 1846. Returning to his native State, he became
Professor of Theology in his Alma Mater at Em-
mitsburg, and continued to fill that chair till he was
consecrated Bishop of Natchez in 1857, by Arch-
bishop Kenrick, of Baltimore.

One of the first institutions that the Bishop vis-
ited after his Consecration, was the college in
which I was then pursuing my studies. Before
imparting his benediction to us, he delivered us an
earnest address, the substance of which I remem-
ber to this day, after a lapse of nearly forty years.

ARCHBISHOP ELDER 109

His thrilling words were well calculated to fire our
youthful hearts with a holy enthusiasm for the sub-
lime vocation to which we aspired.

In order fully to realize the difficulties which the
Bishop had to encounter in his new See, we should
take into consideration the extent of the diocese,
the inconvenience of travel, the poverty of the mis-
sions, and the paucity of the Catholic population.
The diocese of Natchez embraced the entire State
of Mississippi, which is eight thousand square
miles larger in extent than the State of Ohio with
its three flourishing Sees.

I venture to say that when the Bishop took pos-
session of his diocese, there was scarcely a mile of
railroad in the whole State. He had to travel by
boat, or to journey through the interior of the State
by public or private conveyances, or on foot.

The physical labors of a Bishop are much allevi-
ated when his relations are almost exclusively with
a Catholic population which knows and appreciates
Ms sacred character. Then he can say with the
Apostle, ''my mouth is open to you, 0 ye Corinth-
ians, my heart is enlarged.'' But his trials are
aggravated, when he is daily brought face to face
to a people who without any fault of theirs, have
inherited religious prejudices from their ancestors.
But the Bishop by his genial manners, and Chris-
tian charity, soon dispelled those prejudices, as the
mist is dispelled by the sun. He was warmly

110 A EETHOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

received by Protestant and Catholic alike. The
faithful welcomed him as a father ; and those not
of the household of the faith, received him as a man
of God. They all felt that in entertaining him, they
were made all the happier and richer by their hos-
pitality. They felt that he had left a blessing on
their homes, as our Saviour by His presence had
blessed the house of Zackeus, and Elias had blessed
the house of the widow of Sarephta.

His clergy regarded him more as an older
brother than as their ecclesiastical superior. He
was always ready to share their sacrifices.

Many of us may remember how some of the
Southern States were periodically visited in former
years, with the scourge of yellow fever. That state
of things has happily passed away. I myself once
accompanied eight young and healthy Sisters of
Charity on a steamer from Baltimore to New Or-
leans. They were destined chiefly for the Crescent
City and Vicksburg, and went to reinforce the
ranks of their companions who had fallen at the
post of duty. They left Baltimore unheralded by
the press. They did not sound the trumpet before
them. They rushed like the famous six hundred
into the jaws of death, not bent like them on deeds
of blood, but on deeds of mercy. They had no
Tennyson to sound their praises; they sought no
human applause. Their only ambition was, — and
oh! how lofty is that ambition — that their good

ARCHBISHOP ELDER 111

deeds might be recorded in the Book of Life, and
that they might be seen by Him who said: "I was
sick, and you visited Me." Of these eight Sisters,
six died during the following summer in New
Orleans and Vicksburg, victims to the yellow fever.

Like a true soldier of the Cross, the Bishop
hastened to Vicksburg, where the fever raged. He
was incessantly occupied in administering the
Sacraments, and words of consolation to the sick
and dying, till he himself was stricken down by the
fever, and for some days he hung between life and
death.

During his illness, while I was attending the
annual retreat with the Baltimore clergy, I re-
ceived a message announcing the death of Bishop
Elder. That night his demise was formally com-
municated to the community, and prayers were
offered for him, and the next morning I said Mass
for his soul in the presence of the clergy. During
the morning, I remarked to a friend that had called
on me: ^'This is sad news about Bishop Elder.''
'^Yes, indeed,'' he replied, ^'the morning papers
state that he is critically ill. " '' Critically ill ? " I
repeated, ^' thank God for that." It was the first
time in my life that I thanked the Lord for the
alarming illness of a friend. Because while there
was life, there was hope.

The next year the Bishop preached our retreat,
and gave us ample evidence that his mental and

112 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

physical powers were not impaired by the ordeal
through which he had passed. During that retreat
I received a letter from the lamented Bishop Gil-
mour, informing me that the Bishops of the Prov-
ince of Cincinnati had unanimously recommended
Bishop Elder as their first choice for Coadjutor
to the Archbishop of Cincinnati, although he had
been previously selected for San Francisco. I
cheerfully complied with the request of Bishop
Gilmour to urge the appointment at Eome.

You may well conceive that this was a critical
moment in the life of Bishop Elder. San Fran-
cisco was expecting him ; Cincinnati was pleading
for him, and Natchez, with outstretched arms was
striving to retain him. How did the Bishop act in
this emergency? He acted as a self-sacrificing
and obedient soldier of the Cross. He represented
to the Holy See the lamentable condition of the
Natchez diocese, which had lost nearly one-fourth
of its clergy by yellow fever, and which was still
staggering under the heavy loss, and he asked
permission to remain in his afflicted See. Eome,
however, sent him to Cincinnati, and the loss of
Natchez is your gain.

It is not necessary or becoming in this presence,
to dwell on the Apostolic labors of your Archbishop
since his advent to this See. Although on his
arrival among you, he found before him a well-
equipped diocese, thanks to the zeal of his prede-

AECHBISHOP ELDER 113

cessor and his colleagues in the ministry, never-
theless on comparing the Catholic Directory of
1880 with that of 1896, we are surprised to find
the number of churches, schools, hospitals and
asylums that have been added to the list during
his administration. For this success, the Arch-
bishop, under God, is indebted to your zealous
co-operation. You have always rallied around
your Archbishop ; you have put your shoulders to
the wheel ; you have taken an active, a loyal, per-
sonal, vital interest in every measure he inaug-
urated in the cause of religion and humanity ; and
this is the secret of your spiritual progress.

It is written of our Lord, that He went about
doing good. He multiplied loaves in the desert;
He gave sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf ;
He cleansed the leper, and raised the dead to life.
Your Archbishop lays no claim to such miracles as
these. But is it not a miracle of grace that for
fifty years he has led a life without reproach, and
has preserved his priestly robes without stain?
He had not multiplied loaves like our Saviour,
but has he not multiplied institutions where the
young and the old have been abundantly fed? He
had not healed the sick, but has he not founded
hospitals where every phase and variety of human
suffering has found some remedy or alleviation?
He has not raised the dead, but how many who
had lain buried in the grave of sin, has he not

114 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

raised to the life of grace? Oh! my brethren,
never do we prove ourselves more worthy to be
called the Ambassadors of Christ than when we
cause the flowers of joy and consolation to bloom
in hearts that were barren and desolate before.
Your Archbishop has fulfilled in his life the defini-
tion of religion given by the Apostle: '^ Religion
pure and undefiled before God and the Father is
this : to visit the widow and the orphan in their
tribulations, and to keep oneself unspotted from

this world."

And now, Most Rev. Father in Christ, permit
me to congratulate you on this auspicious occa-
sion; first, in the name of the assembled prelates
who are eager to pay you honor, and to testify
their affection for you as their older brother.

I congratulate you in the name of the clergy of
this diocese who revere you as their spiritual
father, and who have entered with so much enthusi-
asm and unanimity into its celebration. I con-
gratulate you in the name of the laity who are
justly proud of you as their chief pastor. May I
not also venture to congratulate you in the name
of your fellow-citizens without distinction of race
or religion? For they honor you as a citizen up-
holding by your authority and example the civil
laws and institutions of your country.

And lastly, I congratulate you in my own name.
There are many common ties that bind us together.

ARCHBISHOP ELDER 115

We were both born in the same city of Baltimore ;
we were baptized within the limits of the same
Cathedral parish; we were educated in the same
old State of Maryland, the land of the sanctuary,
and the cradle of civil and religious liberty; the
same Pontiff that elevated Your Grace to the
Episcopal dignity, imposed the hands of the priest-
hood on me ; and we exercised the sacred ministry
in the same diocese.

May it be my privilege to walk in your footsteps,
though at a distance, and to imitate your beauti-
ful and bright example. May you live to celebrate
the golden jubilee of your Episcopate, and when
your course is run, may you receive the crown of
justice from the Divine Shepherd of our souls.

ARCHBISHOP WILLIAMS*
GOLDEN JUBILEE

ADDRESS AT ARCHBISHOP WILLIAMS*
GOLDEN JUBILEE. 1895.

THE Sacerdotal Jubilee of any priest is an
event well worthy of commemoration. But
when that priest has become a Bishop of
the American Church his Sacerdotal Jubilee is
nothing less than the commemoration of a mile-
stone in the history of the Church and country,
and as one instinctively stops at a milestone and
looks to see as far back as possible, the country
one has traversed, so on this occasion my vener-
able colleagues will forgive me if I seem to speak
more of the history of the past fifty years than of
the present happy occasion.

I can declare in all sincerity that seldom, if ever,
have I participated in any festivity with more
heartfelt satisfaction than on the present occasion.
I first learned with regret that this golden jubilee
would be of a private and local nature; that it
would be diocesan, or, at most, Provincial in its
character. I then engaged my passage to Europe
for the fourth day of May. But on the very day
that I was informed that the Archbishop of Boston

116

ARCHBISHOP WILLIAMS 117

had yielded to the solicitations of his clergy to
have the Metropolitan Sees of the country repre-
sented, I cancelled my passage and took the risk
of engaging a berth at a later date. I assure you,
I would have been filled with envy and jealousy,
had I discovered when abroad that my Metro-
politan brethren were here, while I was absent:
I would have journeyed through Europe in the
lonesome and melancholy spirit of Goldsmith ^s
Traveler :

"Still to my brother I would turn with ceaseless pain,
And drag at each remove, a lengthening chain."

It is a great and a rare privilege vouchsafed to
a minister of God to have passed the fiftieth mile-
stone of his priesthood. It is a still greater privi-
lege, for which he should be devoutly thankful, to
have spent these long years in innocence and
blamelessness of life, with a record untarnished,
and without a single stain to sully his sacerdotal
garments. But the blessing and happiness are still
augmented, when the pilgrim of irreproachable
life stands upon the summit of fifty summers,
and from that eminence looks back and contem-
plates the great works accomplished in his day,
** quorum magna pars fuit/^

The year before your venerable Archbishop
was ordained, there was but one diocese in all New
England, for the first Bishop of Hartford was not

118 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

consecrated till 1844. There were then only 53
priests in New England with a Catholic popula-
tion of 75,000 souls. The Archbishop, though not
yet a very old man, remembers the time when
New England contained only four priests. And in
1816, when a coadjutor to Archbishop Neale was
proposed for the See of Baltimore, Eev. Dr. Mar-
echal wrote to Bishop Flaget recommending
Bishop Cheverus of Boston for that place, and the
reason he assigned was that the illustrious Dr.
Cheverus had nothing to do in Boston.

Today the Archdiocese of Boston is one of the
most flourishing Metropolitan Sees in the country,
with six suffragan sees, like six brilliant satellites
revolving around it. New England has today
1200 Catholic clergymen, with a Catholic popula-
tion of nearly a million and a half.* And nowhere
can a Catholic community be found more devoted

* Present statistics (1916):
Town. Priests.

Boston 728

Burlington 101

Fall River 162

Hartford 385

Manchester 143

Providence 225

Portland 143

Springfield 379

Churches.

Population.

282

900,000

102

84,949

91

173,366

232

469,701

108

134,600

108

275,000

143

131,638

206

327,468

2,266 1,272 2,596,122

AECHBISHOP WILLIAMS 119

to the faith of their fathers, or more loyal to their
grand old Commonwealth, more attached to the
flag of their country, and to her civil and political
institutions.

Who would have thought this of New England
— New England which was founded and built up
to be the stronghold of Puritanism against what
in those days they called "Popery and Prelacy.''
Every advantage which the State could give to
one particular kind of Protestantism was given to
the complete exclusion of Catholicism and all forms
of Protestantism except one. But what was once
the State church has become a small and ever-de-
creasing minority of the population, and what was
once forbidden under the heaviest penalties is now
the religion of an energetic and ever-growing and
progressing part of the population, and yet these
who have come into the heritage which was so long
refused them, yield to none in their devotion to
. God and native land. And if we consider the lives
and works of some o'f the early fathers of the Pur-
itan New Englanders and compare their stern ad-
herence to the sacred Scriptures, to the true God-
head of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the saving power
of His precious Blood, and then when we see into
what religious aberrations their descendants have
wandered, denying the Incarnation, the Atonement
and the inspiration of Holy Scripture, I think we
should not be wrong in saying that could the foun-

120 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

ders of New England have looked down over the
ages they would be glad to think that the lamp of
Christianity was not to be put out but that there
should be still a part of the population who should
revere the sacred and cannonical scriptures as the
very Word of God, who should hope for salvation
only through the merits and blood of our Ee-
deemer and would worship that Eedeemer as God
over all, blessed forever. If we think of the past
of New England, and of the present, we are far
nearer in feeling to the founders of these com-
monwealths than many of their own descendants.
Therefore we know that nobody can contest our
right here, and nobody who wishes a Christian
New England can be sorry for our success. And
we have a strict duty laid upon us also to pray
and to work that the descendants of the Pur-
itans may not only return to the faith of their
fathers, but to the faith of their fathers' fathers,
which is now no I'onger a frightful name spoken in
their midst with bated breath, but which is seen
among them in all its beauty and all its power as
it was in the days before religious unity was
broken.

But I feel it a solemn duty of gratitude to pay
my tribute of praise to the primitive settlers of
New England. Wlien I consider their sturdy
character, their manhood as strong and rugged as
their own native hills ; when I consider their thrift

AECHBISHOP WILLIAMS 121

and industry and enterprise and indomitable en-
ergy. When I reflect on what their descendants
have done for the material development not only
of their own soil, but also of other portions of the
United States, for wherever they planted them-
selves, the influence of their enterprise and prog-
ress was felt ; when I contemplate what they have
accomplished by their wisdom and statesmanship
in the cause of constitutional freedom, and the
blood they have shed in the establishment of our
sovereign Eepublic, without whose heroic efforts,
perhaps, you would not today be reclining in peace
^ ' un der your own vine and fig tree ; ' ' when I reflect
on all this my heart goes out to them, and I be-
lieve you will all agree with me that the nation at
large owes to that noble race a debt of gratitude
which your own warm and generous hearts will be
the first to acknowledge.

As for the sacerdotal life of our Archbishop, it
has stretched across a very remarkable period in
the history of New England. He has seen the
Church rise from obscurity to eminence, and he
has seen her put on her beautiful garments and
come forth to shed light, and life, and peace, and
joy over the hills and valleys of this fair land; and
he has had no small share in her work and he has
therefore no small share in her glory. I need not
catalogue his good works, nor need I say anything
of his great achievements, with the exception of

122 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

one, as a sjTiibol of all tlie rest — the erection of
St. John's Seminary at Brighton — for from that
house of piety and learning will go forth a salutary
influence throughout the whole diocese which will
not only be felt in the present generation but for
many generations to come.

Brethren of the clergy of Boston, I need not say
how devoted you are to your Archbishop. You
admire and revere him because of his sense of
justice, and no men have a more delicate apprecia-
tion of justice than the clergy have in their rela-
tion to their spiritual superior. You love him be-
cause of his fatherly attachment to you, and you
are ever loyal and obedient to him, for obedience
is easy and delightful when it is inspired by love.

But as a chronicler of great events, I feel it my
duty to record one act of disobedience on the part
of the Boston clergy towards their chief pastor —
a public act of disobedience ; a public act for which
they show no remorse of conscience, an act in which
the Vicar General was the leader. I refer to the
fact that while the Archbishop desired to have a
private celebration, you rebelled and insisted that
it should be public. For this act of yours I forgive
you; I thank you, and I bless you from my heart;
for without your act we would not be here today.

I for one would have been deeply sorry not to
have been here today, for it enables me to repay a
little of the kindness which the Archbishop has

AKCHBISHOP WILLIAMS 123

shown in the honor he has so often done me in
staying with me in my own Episcopal residence on
his journeys to and from Washington, and of often
stopping the night with us and honoring our
'^prophet's chamber." His visits to me I look
upon not only as an act of fraternal affection and
kindness, but I have always looked upon them as
an honor he has done me. I am glad today to be
able to make a return visit on this most auspicious
celebration.

And now allow me, Most Eeverend Brother in
Christ, to offer you my most sincere congratula-
tions on this occasion, in the name of the Most
Eev. Apostolic Delegate, in the name of my Most
Eev. and Kt. Rev. colleagues, and in my own.

I well know how distasteful to you is any per-
sonal allusion to yourself: But there are times
and circumstances when private and personal feel-
ings must be sacrificed to the imperative demands
of public recognition. And this is one of these
supreme moments of your life, when you are
placed in the hands of your friends.

We have learned to admire and love you for
your sterling honesty of purpose, for your candor
and straightforwardness of character, and for all
those qualities of mind and heart that make the
man. There is no Prelate of the American Church
in whose judgment we have placed more implicit
reliance than in yours. Even when you were

124 A RETROSPECT OF EIFTY YEARS

younger in years, we looked up to you as a ju-
dicious counsellor. But now we can claim you as
our Nestor in years, as well as in wisdom.

May your years be prolonged like those of your
namesake and patron, St. John the Evangelist.
May you live to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of
your Episcopate : May you long be spared to be
the ornament of your clergy, the guide of your
people, and the pride and glory of the American
Episcopate,
upon her.

GOLDEN JUBILEE

OF
BISHOP LOUGHLIN

SERMON AT THE GOLDEN JUBILEE OF

RT. REV. JOHN LOUGHLIN, BISHOP

OF BROOKLYN, OCT. 18, 1890,

Luke, X, 1-9.

NO effect can be greater than its cause. This
is a sound principle of Philosophy. If
then we consider the small beginnings of
the Christian religion — the sending out of twelve
fishermen by Him who in the eyes of the world was
a Galilean peasant — we must either conclude
that this principle of Philosophy is utterly false
or else that there was a cause here greater than
that of which at that time the mind of man could
have been aware.

Never has there been upon this earth so wonder-
ful a monument of human policy as the Roman
Empire, stretching from the forests of Germany
to the Desert of Sahara; from the pillars of the
Hercules to the Euphrates — a state made up of
widely differing races and languages. The viva-
cious Celt, the stolid Teuton, the acute Latin, the
wily Greek, the subtle Oriental and the semi-bar-
barous African, and yet bound together by a

1S5

126 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

matchless civil and military organization. At a
word the Emperor of Eome could hurl armies
here and there. His voice could be heard at the
utmost confines of his dominion; his law and his
edicts were observed alike in the midlands of
Britain and on the confines of Persia. If any
earthly power was ever supreme it was the Eoman
Empire. It dominated all departments of human
life. It dictated religion and morals as well as
civil laws. It regarded itself as truly divine, and
the statue of the goddess Eoma and the statue of
every succeeding Emperor became the most popu-
lar objects of worship among the widely differing
subjects of this mighty Empire.

Against this colossal Empire our Lord Jesus
Christ sent out a band of fishermen, together with
one tax-gatherer, to which he ultimately added a
tentmaker, and these men not only were expected
by their Master to subdue, but gradually did sub-
due, the imperial power of Eome, and in less than
three hundred years after the Crucifixion of our
Lord, one of His disciples was seated upon the
throne of the Caesars. Thev were subdued not in-
deed by enslaving their bodies, but by bending their
souls to the yoke of the Gospel. In the e5^es of men
the attempt would have seemed one of frantic au-
dacity; too insane to be taken seriously. But it was
not undertaken by men, nor was it carried out by
human power. No one not blinded by invincible

BISHOP LOUGIILIN 127

prejudice could look at the spread of Christianity
during the first three centuries without exclaim-
ing: ''Digitus Dei est hie/' which is to sa^^ in
our English tongue, "The finger of God is here."

But this phenomenon has never been wanting
during the history of the Church. The spreading
of Catholicism among the Northern Barbarians
was as remarkable, in some ways even more re-
markable, than the conversion of the Roman Em-
pire; and in our own time, and here in our own
country, the Catholic Church manifests the same
bounding vitality and has spread herself in a
manner truly miraculous.

I do not think you will charge me with exaggera-
tion or with straining for effect, when I assert that
there are some points of striking analogy between
the marvelous development of Christianity in the
Roman Empire in apostolic times, and the won-
derful growth of the faith in our days in this
Empire State, and notably in Long Island with
which I am directly concerned.

I will here anticipate an objection that may
occur to your minds— that while the christian
church in apostolic times was mainly augmented
from the ranks of Paganism, the Church in our
times has been chiefly reinforced from the ranks
of christian immigrants coming from the shores
of Europe. This is true. But I maintain that if
apostolic zeal and piety and self-denial were re-

128 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

quired to plant the faith in the Christians of the
first century; no small degree of zeal and self-
sacrifice were demanded in the nineteenth century
in preserving the faith of those who had already
possessed it.

What would have become of those multitudes of
immigrants who came to our shores during the
present century, if there were no apostolic men
here to welcome them, to preach to them the word
of salvation, and to break to them the bread of
life? How many thousands of them and of their
descendants would have drifted away and have
become aliens, if not open enemies of the faith of
their fathers?

Now, what was the condition of religion in Long
Island when your Chief Pastor was consecrated
Bishop of Brooklyn in 1853? According to the
directory for that year, the whole of Long Island
contained twenty priests, eighteen churches, most
of them modest and unpretending structures, and
two orphan asylums with a Catholic population of
about 25,000 souls.

The Venerable Cardinal McCloskey, who was
born in 1810, remarked to me that in his youth he
and his family having no church in Brooklyn
wherein to worship, were obliged to cross the East
River in a boat and attend divine service in St.
Peter's Church, New York.

What is the present condition of the diocese of

BISHOP LOUGHLIN 129

Brooklyn? It possesses 200 priests, 150 churches
and chapels, many of them elegant and imposing
houses of worship. It has 118 schools and acad-
emies, where 28,000 children of both sexes are
receiving a sound Christian education. It has
asylums, hospitals and other benevolent institu-
tions, amounting to twenty in number, with a
Catholic population estimated in round numbers
at a quarter of a million.*

And all this work has been accomplished during
the life and under the supervision of one man, the
modest Prelate, who is the centre of our thoughts
today; of a Prelate who lives, thank God, to con-
template the fruits of his labors after "having
borne the burden of the day and the heats," and
to gather in with joy the harvest which he must
often have sown in tears.

Were I to single out one particular virtue
among the many which adorn the life of your
Bishop, I would select his apostlic zeal for relig-
ion as his characteristic trait. Zeal indomitable
which no difficulties could subdue; zeal indefatig-
able which has known no rest for seven and thirty
years. For, if I am correctly informed, your chief
Pastor has not indugled in one single week^s recre-

* Present statistics (1915)— 1 Bishop, 535 priests, 229
Churches, 2 seminaries, 3 colleges, 124 academies and schools
instructing 65,549 pupils; asylums, hospitals and other benevo-
lent institutions 27, with 6,521 inmates, and a Catholic popula-
tion of 750,000.

130 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

ation since the day of his consecration. Zeal of
the brain in surveying the scene like a viglant
shepherd, and in selecting suitable fields of pasture
for his ever-increasing flock. Zeal of the tongue
in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, ''not in
the persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the
showing of the spirit and of power''; preaching
that Gospel which gives glory to God and peace
to man, that Gospel which reconciles enemies, par-
dons the sinner, strengthens the weak, comforts
the afflicted, and which holds out to all the blessed
promises of eternal life.

Zeal of the hands in performing deeds of char-
ity without ostentation, ''not letting his left hand
know what his right hand was doing.'*

Zeal of the feet in incessant motion like the feet
of his Master, and spreading benediction along
his path. Oh! how well do the words of the
Prophet Isaiah apply to those feet: ^'How beau-
tiful on the mountains are the feet of him that
bringeth glad tidings and that preacheth peace,
of him that showeth forth good, that preacheth
salvation, that saith to Sion, thy God shall reign."

How your indefatigable Bishop has found time
to select judicious sites for churches and schools
and academies, asylums and hospitals ; how he has
found time to visit those institutions to confer the
sacrament of confirmation on the thousands of
candidates that annually presented themselves, to

BISHOP LOUGHLIN 131

attend to his multifarious correspondence, and to
administer the affairs of his large diocese, almost
surpasses my comprehension. It can be explained
only on the assumption that he has fulfilled the
vow which some apostlic men have taken, of never
wasting a moment's time.

About twenty-five years ago I had the privilege
of dining with the Bishop at his residence. After
partaking of a hasty meal, the Bishop politely
excused himself and retired before dinner was
quite over. One of the clergy of his household
then pleasantly remarked to me: ^^This is the
Bishop's way. He takes no rest; he enjoys no
siesta after dinner. He is gone to fulfil some
engagement, for he is always busy about his
Father's business."

The zeal of your Bishop has been marked by
three predominant features. It has been ever
tempered by prudence and discretion; it has been
commended by a blameless life, and informed by
Christian charity.

Take a single illustration of his sound financial
judgment. Do you ever reflect, my Brethren, on
the immense weight of monetary obligations that
has been resting all these years on the shoulders
of your Bishop! During the last forty years, how
many powerful corporations, how many princely
merchants, who had been regarded as the Napol-
eons of finance, have been crushed beneath the

132 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

ruins occasioned by some financial crisis ! During
all tliat time your Bishop has been involved in
large business transactions for religious and
charitable purposes. The property he has accum-
ulated, has amounted to thousands, and tens of
thousands, and hundreds of thousands, nay to mil-
lions of dollars. He has come out of the ordeal
with clean hands and a clean heart, without a
single note of his protested. Had only one of his
churches been sold for debt, what a hue and cry
would have been raised, what adverse criticism
would have been uttered against his temporal ad-
ministration? The judgment of the public is more
severe toward churchmen than toward laymen in
their financial short-comings. A failure that is
condoned as a misfortune, when a civil corpora-
tion is the defaulter, would be branded almost as
a crime, as well as a blunder, if a Bishop were the
victim. I am far from referring in a fault-finding
spirit, to this discriminating verdict of public
opinion; for, society has surely a right to expect
that the expounders of the law of justice should
set the brightest example in the fulfilment of the
law. Now I ask you to consider what foresight and
tact, and sound practical sense and judgment must
have been displayed by your chief Pastor in pass-
ing through these financial operations with so
much credit to himself, and so much honor to the
diocese over which he presides.

BISHOP LOUGIILIN 133

It is written of our Saviour that ' ' He went about
doing good.'' ''He gave sight to the blind, and
hearing to the deaf, and speech to the dumb, and
strength to the paralyized limb. He cleansed the
leper and raised the dead to life.''

Your modest Bishop lays no claim to such mirac-
ulous powers as these. And what would it profit
him to possess such extraordinary gifts? Mirac-
ulous power is given to men not for their own
advantage, but for the glory of God and the bene-
fit of their fellow beings. Our Lord Himself de-
clares that it will avail wonder-workers nothing on
the last day, to have wrought such works, if their
lives were not in keeping with their sacred calling.
*'Many," He tells us, ''will say to Me, on that day:
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name,
and cast out devils in Thy name, and done many
miracles in Thy name? And He will say to them :
I know you not. Depart from Me, ye who work
iniquity. "

The life of every good priest, the pontificate of
every zealous Bishop has upon it in some form or
other the mark of the miraculous. I do not mean
to claim that Bishops have the gift of miracles
to the extent to which Our Lord has given it to
some of His great saints, but the gift of miracles
is certainly given in some form, to every Bishop,
as we read in the service of consecration for a
Bishop, and this gift is manifested as God wills

134 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

and as times and occasions require. Certainly to
make something from nothing is clearly miracu-
lous, and when I look over the accomplishment of
jour Bishop today, I am compelled to believe that
more than human power has been at his disposal.
Nor is he alone in this. When one considers how
few were our numbers originally in this country,
how very, very poor, for the most part, were those
who came to us from across the sea, and when one
looks over the American Church today, one real-
izes that our Bishops, like the blessed Apostles,
have been supported by a power clearly divine.
Therefore no man may boast, for the glory is not
of man, but of God.

And now, Venerable Brother, permit me to con-
gratulate you with all my heart on this auspicious
occasion. Not only in my own behalf but on behalf
of the Episcopacy of the American Church. Your
glory is the glory of us all, and all of us feel hon-
ored in the honors which a devoted clergy and
loving people are heaping upon you today. Nor
do I think I overstate the case, that this city with-
out distinction of race or creed, joins with us today
in offering to you the felicitations of your fellow
citizens. If they have not known you as those of
the household of faith have known you, they have
known you at least as a devoted citizen, as the head
of the most philanthropic organization in the city.

BISHOP LOUGHLIN 135

and as a zealous promoter of its social progress
and material prosperity.

Fifty years ago you were crowned with the
aureola of the priesthood. Today you receive the
crown of your golden jubilee. The value of this
crown is enhanced by the consideration that it is
presented to you not by one particular class, but
by every rank of the community. The young and
the old, the sons of toil and the wealthy mer-
chant, the public functionary and the private cit-
izen; bishops, priests, and consecrated virgins — all
gladly come forward to add a wreath to the diadem
of your golden jubilee. Many a civil ruler might
envy you this spontaneous manifestation of loy-
alty. Kings may demand the tribute of money;
but they cannot always secure the higher tribute
of the heart's affection which is so bountifully
lavished on you. May we not devoutly behold in
these two crowns, the presage of the unfading
crown of glory which our Lord will give unto you
in that day when you appear before Him to receive
the reward of your works.

If it pleased your heavenly Father to summon
you now to Himself from your field of labor, I am
sure you would be resigned to say with the aged
Simeon: *'Now, 0 Lord, Thou mayest dismiss
Thy servant in peace,'' for I have proclaimed Thy
name to the Gentiles, and Thy glory to Thy people
Israel.''

136 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

But such is not the wish of your beloved clergy
and people. They would have you abide with them
still longer. They would have you abide with them
to celebrate the golden jubilee of your Episcopate.
They would have you abide with them even to see
the years of your great patron saint and name-
sake, John, the beloved disciple, though, like him,
you would have only sufficient strength to ascend
the pulpit, to invoke a benediction on your people,
and to proclaim to them the universal law of fra-
ternal charity.

And, as St. John was the last survivor of the
Apostolic College, so are you, with one exception,
the last survivor of that heroic band of apostolic
men that were laboring with you fifty years
ago. The mild, but firm, Dubois, the lion-hearted
Hughes, the Cardinal, whose placid features are
still fresh in our memory, the eloquent Power, the
amiable Starrs, and the erudite Pise, and their
colleagues have passed away.

But, though your old companions have fallen at
the post of duty, I see before me, in and around
the sanctuary, a well-equipped body of white-robed
soldiers worthy heirs of the faith and the mission
of their fathers, who lovingly cluster around you,
and who are carrying on the battle of the Lord
under your well-tried leadership.

But whenever the day comes on which you will
be called to render an account of your stewardship,

BISHOP LOUGHLIN 137

you will be able to say: Divine Master, ^'I have
manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou hast
given me out of the world. . . . Those whom
Thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is
lost.''

And even when you have passed from the
scene of your labors, and entered into the joy of
the Lord, you will not be unmindful of this city
and of this people with whom your Episcopal life
has been inseparably identified.

In his wonderful funeral oration over St.
Basil, the great St. Gregory of Nanzianzen, be-
sought that departed Bishop to pray for his
stricken flock. So you when that time shall come,
will lift up your hands before God in his eternal
and glorious kingdom for those who were com-
mitted to your pastoral care on earth.

And now, Venerable Brother in Christ, during
these festive scenes you are no doubt in a retro-
spective and prospective mood. You are solemnly
reflecting on your fifty years' labor in the ministry,
and prayerfully looking forward to the reward
from your Sovereign Master. Surely it is not an
unreasonable fancy of mine that you are at this
moment piously paraphrasing the words which
Christ uttered to His disciples at the close of His
earthly career, and devoutly thus communing with
your Lord: ^^I have glorified Thee on the earth; T
have nearly finished the work which Thou gavest

138 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

me to do, and now glorify Thoii me, 0 Father, with
Thyself. I have manifested Thy name to men.
Thine they were and Thou didst give them to me.
The words which Thou gavest me I have communi-
cated to them, and they have received them and
they have believed that Thou didst send me. I
pray for them because they were Thine. Sanctify
them in the truth."

^'Thou hast gone to prepare a place for Thy dis-
ciples, that where Thou art they also might be."

Vouchsafe also to prepare a place for me and
mine, that I Thy servant and those Thou hast com-
mitted to my care, may rest with Thee in Thy
blessed mansion for all eternity.

CARDINAL GIBBONS' JUBILEE

JUBILEE SERMON PREACHED IN THE BALTI-
MORE CATHEDRAL ON SUNDAY.
OCTOBER 1. 1911.

WHEN the subject of commemorating the
golden jubilee of my ordination, and the
silver jubilee of my elevation to the Sacred
College was under consideration, I expressed the
desire and intention of celebrating the event with
the least possible display.

But you all know how my modest arrangements
were dashed aside by the kind partiality of my
friends and fellow-citizens of Baltimore, Wash-
ington and Maryland. Never, indeed, shall I for-
get, never shall I cease to be grateful for the
unparalleled reception of June 6th, which will
always be a red letter day in the annals of our
city— when the President of the United States and
the leading members of the three co-ordinate
branches of the government assembled in Armory
Hall, with the Governor of Maryland, the Mayor
and City Council and together with the prominent
citizens of the city and State, to pay your Cardinal
Archbishop an honor beyond his deserts.

139

140 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

Tlie pleasure of tliis demonstration was en-
hanced by the consideration that it was so cordial
and spontaneous, and was conceived and under-
taken without the slightest suggestion or expecta-
tion on his part.

Besides that civic festivity, I shall be honored
on the 15th of this month by a large concourse of
my brethren of the Episcopate and Clergy from
various parts of the United States and Canada,
who will join with me in the religious celebration
of the Jubilee.

It is very natural that on an occasion like the
present I should indulge in some reminiscences.
This is a privilege of the old in which the young
cannot share.

All the priests that were ordained for this
diocese with me, or before my time, have long
since passed away; and all my Episcopal brethren
with whom I began to labor after my consecration,
43 years ago, have gone to their reward, with one
solitary exception, and that exception is the ven-
erable Bishop of Kansas City.* Though I value
the friendship of my junior colleagues, I feel a
sense of loneliness in the absence of my old com-
panions with whom I sat so often in Council, and
with whom I labored so long in the Vineyard of
the Lord.

At the close of the Third Plenary Council, in

* The Reverend Dr. Hogan. He died in 1913.

CAEDINAL'S GOLDEN JUBILEE 141

1884, the patriarchal Archljishop of St. Louis, ad-
dressing me in the name of his colleagues,
remarked that ''when Xerxes, the Persian leader,
beheld over a million of soldiers standing before
him in martial array, he shed tears on reflecting
that in 100 years this grand army would have per-
ished from the face of the earth. And in fifty
years,'' the Archbishop added, ''all the Prelates
assembled in this cathedral shall have paid the
debt of nature."

*'That is true,'' I replied, "but, thank God, we
are immortal; for the present life is but the pre-
lude of that which is to come, and we shall meet
again in the temple of which God Himself is the
architect, 'for we know that if this our earthly
habitation is dissolved, we have a house of God
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' ''

Of the seventy-two Prelates who attended the
Council of 1884 all but nine have paid the debt
of morality.*

It may be interesting as well as consoling to
institute a comparison between the Church of 1861
and its present situation after half a century.

In 1861 the Archbishops and Bishops of the
United States numbered 48. The priests were
2,064. The number of churches with priests at-
tached was 2,042, and the Catholic population was
estimated at 1,860,000.

'f'Only six now survive.

142 A RETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

The number of Archbishops and Bishops today
in charge of Sees amounts to 96. Just twice as
many as existed in 1861. The priests amount to
17,000, an increase of over eightfold. There are
13,500 churches, nearly a sevenfold increase. We
have about 15 millions of Church members, over
four times as many as existed in the United States
in 1861.*

But the progress of religion in our country is to
be estimated not only by the augmentation of the
numbers of its communicants, but also by its more
efficient co-ordination and discipline. The clergy
in 1861, were as detached squadrons compared to
the compact and well-marshalled army of today.
Half a century ago, the Prelates and clergy la-
bored under many adverse circumstances. In
widely extended parts of the country, they had
to minister to the faithful scattered over a vast
expanse of territory, without organized parishes,
often without churches wherein to worship, and
without Catholic schools. They had but scant re-
sources to sustain them. Frequently they had to
contend with deep-rooted prejudices.

Now, thank God, we have in most places parishes
well organized. Churches have multiplied from

•According to the latest statistics (1916) there are now
14 Archbishops (Including 3 Cardinals) 97 Bishops, 19,572
Priests, 15,163 Churches and 16,564,109 Catholics In the United
States.

CARDINAL'S GOLDEN JUBILEE 143

the Atlantic to the Pacific. Parochial schools have
become the rule instead of the exception in the
large centers of population, A generous laity are
usually able and always willing to aid our mission-
aries. An unfriendly feeling indeed still exists in
some quarters, as the result of long-standing tra-
ditions and a biased education. But the mists of
prejudice are gradually disappearing before the
sunlight of truth.

Let me address you, my junior brethren of the
Episcopate and the clergy. Oh ! you who are now
in the full tide of physical and intellectual vigor,
I congratulate you ; your lines are fallen in pleas-
ant places. What a rich field is open to your
apostolic zeal ! You represent the highest author-
ity in the world, the Lord of Hosts Himself. You
go forth as the envoys not of an earthly potentate,
but of the King of kings and Lord of lords. To
be an ambassador of Christ is a heavy charge. It
means the giving up of one 's whole life, the bend-
ing of one's every energy to the cause for which
we have enrolled ourselves, for the subject of our
embassy is nothing short of eternal life, and the
work of our embassy is nothing less than the
salvation of souls.

Your mission is to an enlightened American
people who are manly and generous, open to con-
viction, and who will give you a patient hearing.
The American race form the highest type of a

144 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

Christian nation when their natural endowment
of truth, justice and indomitable energy are en-
grafted on the supernatural virtues of faith, hope
and charity.

But, my brethren of the laity, the mightiest
efforts of your Bishops and Clergy will be of no
avail without your generous co-operation. If the
genius of a Washington, a Wellington, and a Na-
poleon would be exerted in vain without the help
of their armies, so the zeal of a Peter and a John
the Baptist and the eloquence of a Paul would be
fruitless without the active concurrence of their
devoted disciples. But when the prelates, the
clergy and people are united in the cause of re-
ligion and humanity, there is no such word as fail.
We form an impregnable phalanx which cannot
be pierced. We constitute a triple alliance far
more formidable and enduring than the alliance
of kings and potentates, for ours is not a confed-
eration of flesh and blood, but an alliance cemented
by divine charity.

You will always be loyal in the profession and
faithful in the practice of your religion. You will
take an active, personal interest in all that concerns
the welfare of Holy Church. You will rejoice in
her growth and prosperity, and will grieve at any
adversity that may befall her. You will be ani-
mated by the spirit of the Prophet, when he
mourned over the destruction of Jerusalem and

CARDINAL'S GOLDEN JUBILEE 145

besought God to have mercy upon her and deliver
her from her enemies.

And as citizens of the United States you should
take a patriotic part in every measure that con-
tributes to the progress of the Commonwealth.
No man liveth to himself alone, nor can any man
shirk his responsibility. No matter how humble
may be our station, our country will be either a
little better or a little worse because we have lived.

At the present moment there are three political
problems which are engaging the serious attention
of our public men.

It is proposed that United States Senators
should be elected by popular vote, instead of being
chosen by the Legislature, as is prescribed by the
Constitution.

It is proposed that the Acts of our Legislature,
before they have the force of law, should be sub-
mitted to the suffrage of our people who would
have the right of veto.

It is proposed to recall or remove an unpopular
judge before the expiration of his term of office.

No one questions the ability, the sincerity and
patriotism of the advocates of these changes in
our organic laws. But I hope I may not be pre-
sumjDtuous in saying that, in my opinion, the wis-
iom of the proposed amendments must be seriously
questioned.

The election of Senators by the votes of the

146 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

people involves tlie destruction of a strong bul-
wark against dangerous popular encroachments.
The reason given for the contemplated change is
that many of our State Legislatures are charged
with being venal, and that it is easier to corrupt
the Legislature than the whole people. In reply
I would say: If you can not trust the members
of the Legislature, how can you trust their con-
stituents from whom they spring? If you can not
confide in our Legislatures, you can not confide in
human government, nor in human nature itself.
If a few of our Legislatures have been found
guilty of bribery, it is most unjust to involve all
the others in their condemnation. I have sufficient
confidence in the moral integrity of our Legisla-
tures to be convinced that the great majority of
them have never bent the knee to Mammon.

To give to the masses the right of annulling the
Acts of the Legislature, is to substitute mob law
for established rule.

To recall a judge because his decisions do not
meet with popular approval, is an insult to the
dignity, the independence, and the self-respect of
our judiciary. Far less menacing to the Common-
wealth is an occasional corrupt or incompetent
judge, than one who would be the habitual slave
of a capricious multitude, and who would have his
ear to the ground to catch the popular cry.

The Constitution of the United States is the

CARDINAL'S GOLDEN JUBILEE 147

palladium of our liberties and our landmark in
our march of progress. That instrument has been
framed by the anxious cares and enlightened zeal
of the Fathers of the Eepublic. Its wisdom has
been tested and successfully proved after a trial
of a century and a quarter. It has weathered the
storms of the century which is passed, and it
should be trusted for the centuries to come. What
has been good enough for our fathers ought to be
good enough for us. Every change, either in the
political or religious world, is not a reformation.

*^ Better to bear the ills we know, than fly to
those we know not of." Do not disturb the politi-
cal landmarks of the republic.

ARCHBISHOP KATZER'S

RECEPTION OF

PALLIUM

ADDRESS AT ARCHBISHOP KATZER'S

RECEPTION OF THE PALLIUM.

AUGUST 20. 1890.

ICOEDIALLY congratulate you, most Eeverend
Father, on the well-merited distinction con-
ferred on you in your elevation to the Epis-
copal throne once occupied by your two venerated
Predecessors whose names are enshrined in the
hearts of the people of this archdiocese.

Of your immediate Predecessor, Most Rev.
Michael Heiss, it is quite unnecessary for me to
speak, for his virtues and good deeds are still
fresh in the momory of my hearers. I will simply
remark that he left the impress of his learning
as well as of his modest demeanor on the Prelates
of the late Plenary Council of Baltimore.

But I am impelled to say a few words about the
first Metropolitan of this diocese, Archbishop
Henni, whose placid features are indelibly stamped
on my heart and for whom I conceived a profound
admiration since I met him for the first time in
1866. Bishop Henni attended the Second Plenary
Council of Baltimore, held in that year, and as I

148

ARCHBISHOP KATZER 149

was an official of that Council, I had the privilege
of assisting at its business sessions. I was struck
by the respect and veneration in which the Bishop
was held by his colleagues. They regarded him as
a saint. His labors as the pioneer apostle of Wis-
consin had gone before him; and if my memory
serves me right, the assembled Bishops recom-
mended to the Holy Father that Milwaukee should
be erected to a Metropolitan See, as a tribute of
homage to the zeal and piety of its first Bishop.

When this See was created, streams of immi-
grants, chiefly from Germany and Ireland, were
steadily flowing into Wisconsin which then com-
prised the diocese of Milwaukee.

The young Bishop surveyed the vast field with
an eagle eye. He bought property in localities
where towns were likely to be established, and
thus by his foresight he made timely provision for
the future spiritual needs of the State.

We have only to contemplate the scene before
us today to be convinced that the Catholic Church
of America is a family derived from many nations.
It reminds us of the heterogeneous multitude that
were assembled on the day of Pentecost, and who
all heard, each one in his own tongue, the wonder-
ful works of Grod proclaimed by the Apostles.

Not so varied was the audience that listened to
the Apostles on Pentecost day, as are the congre-
gations that arrive at our shores and kneel to-

150 A KETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

gether at our altars. Many come to us from Eng-
land, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Austria, Hun-
gary, France, Italy, Poland, Bohemia, Belgium
and Holland, and commingle together in prayer
with the great American Catholic body, that holds
out to them the right hand of fellowship. Differ-
ing in language, in habits and tastes, they all are
united in the bonds of a common religion, having
^^one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all Who is above all, and through all,
and in us all. ' '

But thanks to God, the Catholic Church of
America is united not only by the bonds of a com-
mon faith, but what is more precious, it is united
also by the bond of Christian brotherhood.

I venture to say that in no country in Christen-
dom are the members of the hierarchy more united
and more compact, there are none who enjoy more
intimate and cordial relations with one another,
than the hierarchy of the United States. This fra-
ternal feeling is all the more to be admired, as a
large proportion of the Bishops of the country are
descended from different nations of Europe.

What a striking illustration of this brotherly
spirit was exhibited at the Plenary Council of
Baltimore in 1884, when seventy-five Bishops as-
sembled together in Solemn Council to establish
disciplinary laws for the Church in the United
States. Well could the prelates gathered together

ARCHBISHOP KATZER 151

chant the words of the Eoyal Prophet: ** Behold
how good and how pleasant a thing it is for breth-
ren to dwell together in unity. '*

This brotherly sentiment was perhaps still more
strikingly manifested at the recent Centennial cele-
bration in Baltimore, in 1889, for on that occasion
eighty-five bishops met together, not in obedience
to the command of a higher authority, but inspired
by the warm impulses of their own hearts, to com-
memorate with gladness the establishment of the
Catholic hierarchy in our cherished land one hun-
dred years before.

And do we not find around us today another
evidence of these same cordial relations when we
contemplate so many bishops and priests, coming
from different and remote parts of the country,
and uniting to pay honor to the distinguished prel-
ate whom the Sovereign Pontiff has placed over
this flourishing archidiocese of Milwaukee.

Woe to him, my brethren, who would destroy or
impair this blessed harmony that reigns among
us ! Woe to him who would sow tares of discord
in the fair fields of the Church of America I Woe
to him who would breed dissension among the lead-
ers of Israel by introducing a spirit of nationalism
into the camps of the Lord! Brothers we are,
whatever may be our nationality, and brothers we
shall remain — we will prove to our countrymen
that the ties formed by grace and faith are

152 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

stronger than flesli and blood — G-od and our coun-
try! This onr watchword — ^Loyalty to God's
Church and to our country! — this our religious
and political faith.

Let us unite hand in hand in laboring for the
Church of our fathers. The more we extend the
influence of the Christian religion, the more we will
contribute to the stability of our political and social
fabric. Let zeal for religion ever burn in our
hearts. Let us so work for God that the words of
the Psalmist may apply to each of us : * ' The zeal
of Thine house hath eaten me up."

Next to love for God, should be our love for our
country. The Author of our being has stamped in
the human breast a love for one's country, and
therefore patriotism is a sentiment commended by
Almighty God Himself. If the inhabitant of the
Artie regions clings to his country though living
amid perpetual ice and snow, how much more
should we be attached to this land of ours so boun-
tifully favored by heaven, and if the Apostles in-
culcated respect for their rulers, and obedience to
the laws of the Roman Empire, though these laws
were often framed for the purpose of crushing and
exterminating the primitive Christians, how much
more devoted should we be to our civil government
which protects us in our person and property,
without interfering with our rights and liberties,
and with what alacrity we should observe the laws

ARCHBISHOP KATZER 153

of our country which were framed solely with the
view of promoting our peace and happiness !

The Catholic community in the United States
has been conspicuous for its loyalty in the century
that has passed away; and we, I am sure, will
emulate the patriotism of our Fathers in the faith.
Let us glory in the title of American citizen. We
owe our allegiance to one country, and that coun-
try is America. We must be in harmony with our
political institutions. It matters not whether this
is the land of our birth or the land of our adoption.
It is the land of our destiny. Here we intend to
live and here we hope to die. When our brethren
across the Atlantic resolve to come to our shores,
may they be animated by the sentiments of Ruth
when she determined to join her husband's kin-
dred in'the land of Israel, and may they say to
you, as she said to her relations: ^'Whither thou
hast gone, I also shall go — where thou dwellest, I
also shall dwell, thy people shall be my people —
and thy God, my God. The land that shall receive
thee dying, in the same will I die, and there will I
be buried. ' '

And now, Most Reverend Father in Christ, per-
mit me to felicitate you on this auspicious occa-
sion, or rather to congratulate the archdiocese over
which the Holy See, through the voice of Peter's
successor, has been pleased to appoint you. The
Pallium with which I had the honor to invest you

154 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

today is a sacred emblem of your enlarged juris-
diction and of the more intimate relations which
will bind you to the Apostolic See.

I am sure you will prove yourself eminently
worthy of the new honor which has been conferred
on you and that you will exhibit towards the Chair
of Peter and towards the person of the Soverign
Pontiff the same loyalty, reverence and filial affec-
tion which have marked your career as a priest, a
professor and a Bishop of the Church of God.

In the wider field of labor over which Providence
has set you, you will have more ample scope for
the exercise of those talents and gifts of eloquence
with which God has endowed you — ^you will be a
Father to all your children in Christ, and what-
ever special love you may naturally have, like
Jacob for Joseph and Benjamin, will not diminish
your affection for their brethren.

And I have no doubt that your clergy and people
will continue to exercise towards you that loyalty,
obedience and generous co-operation which they
have ever manifested towards your predecessors
in the See of Milwaukee. They will hold up your
hands as the children of Israel held up the hands
of Moses ; they will stand around you like valiant
soldiers ; they will rejoice in your prosperity and
grieve at every adversity that may befall you.
They will take a loyal, personal and warm inter-
est in every work you may undertake in the cause

ARCHBISHOP KATZER 155

of charity and religion and for the advancement
of Christ's Kingdom on earth.

The most acceptable prayer that I can offer for
your Grace is this: May you emulate the apos-
tolic virtues of your venerable predecessors. May
you receive their double spirit, and may their
mantle fall upon you as the mantle of Elias fell
on Eliseus. May you walk in their footsteps and
leave the impress of your good deeds on^the Arch-
diocese as they have done. May you build on the
broad and deep foundations which they have laid,
and when your work is done may you hear the
voice of our Divine Eedeemer say to you, *^Well
done thou good and faithful servant, because thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will make
thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord.''

THE PATRONAGE OF
ST. JOSEPH

SERMON ON THE PATRONAGE OF ST. JOSEPH.

DELIVERED AT ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH.

BALTIMORE. MD.. MARCH 19, 1878.

Joseph "was a just man." St. Matt, i, 19.

THE most beautiful and fragrant flowers are
sometimes found to grow on mountain
slopes, and enrich by their sweet odor the
air of heaven, where there is no human hand to
pluck them, nor human breath to tarnish their
lustre. What we say of flowers in the physical
world, we may apply to St. Joseph in the order of
grace. He is truly that chaste flower planted by
the hand of God in the secluded garden of Naz-
areth, and delighting the angels and the Lord of
Angels by the sweet odor of his virtues. Hence St.
Joseph is very appropriately represented to us by
painters as bearing in his hand a pure-white lily
to denote the angelic sanctity of his life which was
never sullied by contact with the world.

It is worthy of remark how God has often con-
cealed from public knowledge the history of many
men most eminent for their holiness, lest perhaps
the fame of their virtues should kindle in their

156

ST. JOSEPH'S, BALTIMORE 157

soul the spark of vain glory, or deprive them of
that simplicity of heart and purity of intention in
which their heavenly Spouse takes so much delight.
Such is the peculiarity which we discover in the
life of that illustrious Patriarch whose Patronage
we celebrate today.

No human eye was worthy to penetrate into the
sanctuary of Joseph. No human witness was
worthy of intruding on the sanctity of the house
of Nazareth. No ordinary pen was fit to record
the virtues of that divine Family upon earth.
That privilege was reserved for the Spirit of God
Himself. The Holy Ghost is the only historian
worthy of Joseph. By the pen of the Evangelist
He has pronounced the eulogy of your patron Saint
in these few but comprehensive words of the Gos-
pel which tells us that ' ' Joseph was a just man. ' *

And yet, my Brethren, though the life of Joseph
was so hidden and so retired, I venture to say
that his example gives consolation and encourage-
ment to a greater number of souls than any Saint
in the calendar; more even than the brilliant life
of St. Paul; for while few are able or obliged to
imitate the heroic virtues of the Apostle of the
Gentiles, most of you lead domestic lives and are
called upon to practise the domestic virtues of
Joseph.

And how consoling it is to think that without
going beyond the pale of your legitimate duties,

158 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

you may, like Josepli, attain the highest degree of
sanctity !

St. Joseph was born of a very noble family,
being descended from the kings of Juda. He had
the honor of numbering among his ancestors the
illustrious and pious king David. But it was not
the royal origin of Joseph that rendered him so
acceptable to Almighty God but the singular holi-
ness of his life. Nor would he ever have found a
place in the calendar of the Saints, nor would the
Church celebrate his name on her altars through-
out the Christian world today, if he had no other
claim to our respect than his exalted lineage;
for the Church honors virtue wherever she finds it,
whether in the huts of rustics or the palaces of
kings. The Church, like God Himself, has no dis-
tinction of persons. All are equal before her eyes.
Virtue is her only standard of excellence. Today
she honors the prince on her altars ; tomorrow, the
peasant.

There is no virtue, peculiar to his state, which
did not shine forth in our great Saint, for the title
of ^^just,'' which he received from the Holy
Ghost, expresses a reunion of all gifts and graces.
Joseph fulfilled all justice towards God; towards
Jesus; towards Mary.

It is in accordance with the dispensations of a
wise Providence, that whenever God wishes to
employ His servants in some great and holy un-

ST. JOSEPH'S, BALTIMORE 159

dertaking, He gives tliem the necessary graces to
fulfil the exalted station to which He assigns them.
Thus He sanctified St. John the Baptist from his
very birth, because he was to be the Precursor of
Our Lord. Thus also did He confirm the Apostles
in grace, because they were to be the founders of
His Church. Thus did He select Mary, the purest
of the daughters of Israel, and bestowed upon her
the plentitude of His grace, because she was des-
tined to be the Mother of the Incarnate Word.
And in like manner, we must piously believe that
God enriched the soul of Joseph with extraordi-
nary sanctity when He appointed him to be that
faithful and prudent servant who was placed over
His Divine Family on earth — Joseph who was
constituted the guide and guardian of His Son
Jesus; the shadow of His Providence and repre-
sentative of His authority. For, if so much sanc-
tity was required of the Baptist who came to pre-
pare the way of the Lord; if the Apostles were
endowed with so much grace because they were
the first heralds of His Gospel and pillars of His
Church, surely the highest order of moral recti-,
tude must be found in him who was chosen to be
the companion of Jesus for thirty years.

We generally judge of the character of a man
by the company he keeps. How could Joseph have
lived for so many years with that divine family
without catching, as it were, the contagion of their

160 A RETROSPECT OF EIFTY YEARS

virtues! It was impossible for Joseph to have
stood so long near Jesus, that fire of divine love,
without being warmed by the heavenly breath
which breathed upon him every day.

If Zacheus, mentioned in the Gospel, was sancti-
fied because Our Lord was pleased once to be his
Guest, how exalted must be the holiness of Joseph
who dwelt under the same roof with Jesus for
thirty years; who watched the Child with more
than paternal fondness, as He '^advanced in grace
and wisdom and years before God and men'* ; who
looked on while the Infant was developing into
childhood; the Child into Boyhood; and the Boy
into Manhood.

We know from the Gospel that virtue went out
from Jesus to heal the multitudes. As a delicious
flower exhales sweet odors, so did the body of
Jesus exhale the sweet odor of virtue. The woman
in the Gospel was cured of her infirmity by the
very touch of the hem of His garment. How pure
then in body and soul must Joseph have been, who
so often nursed the Infant Child, caressed Him in
his arms, and pressed the Divine Countenance to
his lips !

If our Divine Saviour tells us that even a cup of
cold water given in His Name to a stranger, will
have its reward, what recompense will He consider
too great for Joseph who supported Our Saviour

ST. JOSEPH'S, BALTIMOEE 161

Himself by the labor of his hands and the sweat
of his brow.

St. Luke informs us that when two of the dis-
ciples of our Lord were going to Emmaus after
the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to them and con-
versed with them for sometime without making
Himself known to them. After He had eaten
with them, He vanished from their sight. Then
they said to each other, ''Was not our heart
burning within us while He was speaking on the
way, and opened to us the Scriptures T' If the
hearts of these two disciples were warmed with
the love of God, after having held that short con-
versation with Our Lord and enjoying His blessed
company at one meal, must not the heart of Joseph
been inflamed with more than a seraph's love,
when we remember the many days and nights they
sat, ate and conversed together beneath the same
roof. How many draughts of divine love did not
the holy Patriarch drink in, while he listened day
by day to the words of heavenly wisdom which fell
from the lips of his adopted Child. If the words
of Jesus read in the Gospel have so much efficacy,
how much greater was their influence coming fresh
from the lips of the oracle of truth! Learn like
St. Joseph, to listen with docility to Jesus whether
He speaks to you by private inspiration, in a book,
or in a sermon, and like Joseph you will soon find
the spark of charity kindled in your breast.

162 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

'Companion of Maky.

St. Joseph was the daily companion not only of
Jesus, but also of Mary. Many of you know from
experience the elevating and sanctifying influence
of a wife 's example. You have felt how she imper-
ceptibly forms and moulds you into better and
holier men. If such is the ascendency of an ordi-
nary wife, what effect must Mary's silent but elo-
quent example have exercised on the susceptible
and pious mind of Joseph. You esteem it a favor
to be called the clients and servants of Mary. It
is the highest ambition of your daughters to be
enrolled among the Children of Mary. Imagine
then the dignity of Joseph in being chosen above
all others to be the chaste spouse of Mary, the
conjugal partner of her joys and sorrows. You
recognize the privilege conferred on St. John when
you hear Our Saviour say to him from the Cross :
*^'Son, behold thy Mother." But if it was a great
honor to John to be appointed by our Lord the
Protector of His Mother in her declining years,
how much more glorious was the prerogative of
Joseph who was constituted the chaste Guardian
of her more youthful days !

Truly does Joseph deserve to be called '^that
faithful and prudent servant whom the Lord
placed over His family.'' The most eminent qual-
ities that can distinguish ^ guardian are : 1. Obe-

ST. JOSEPH'S; BALTIMORE 163

dience to the instructions of the master that em-
ploys him. 2. Solicitude for those placed under
his charge. 3. Wisdom and discretion in govern-
ing them.

Such are the three qualities which characterized
St. Joseph in his government of the Holy Family,
as we find from the Gospel.

1. Joseph has left us a striking instance of his
prompt obedience to his divine Master, under the
most trying circumstances. King Herod issues a
decree commanding all the children of Israel under
two years of age to be put to death, intending
thereby to involve the Infant Saviour in the com-
mon slaughter of the Innocents. God appears to
Joseph at the dead of night; commands him to
leave his home at once, and set out for Egypt,
with Mary and the Infant Jesus. The simple-
hearted Patriarch obeys without a moment's hesi-
tation. He does not plead as an excuse, the unsea-
sonable hour of the night, or the unpropitious sea-
son of the year. He does not say: How can I
venture on such a long journey with scant means !
How can my tender spouse, or still more tender
child bear the hardships of travel? How can I
enter into a country to which I am a stranger by
birth, a stranger in language and in religion?

The obedience of Joseph can only be compared
to that of Abraham, to which, in many of its cir-
cumstances, it bears a striking resemblance. God

164 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

appears to Abraliam and commands him to sacri-
fice his only son Isaac. The Patriarch without
hesitation proceeds to fulfil the divine command,
till the uplifted sword is arrested by the hand of
an angel. Like Abraham who went to sacrifice his
son on the Mountain of Vision, Joseph is ready to
sacrifice his comforts and his life on the altar of
obedience.

God calls every one of us, as He called Joseph,
to a trial of obedience. He gives every one of us
a mission to fulfil. No matter then how difficult
may be the task assigned to us; no matter how
rugged the journey of life before us; no matter
how dark and threatening the clouds that over-
hang our path, let us go forth with confidence,
having Joseph's example before our eyes. When
the voice of duty or obedience speaks to us, let
us fear nothing ; for, God Who calls us, will bring
light out of darkness; joy out of sorrow; he will
make the rough ways smooth. ^'Though we sow
in tears, we shall reap in joy."

2. We may form some conception of the love and
solicitude of Joseph for his adopted Son by the
sorrow he experienced when he missed the Child
Jesus returning from the Temple of Jerusalem to
Nazareth.

For, the affection he had for his heavenly Ward
was measured by the anguish he endured when the
Child was separated from him. As soon as the

ST. JOSEPH'S, BALTIMORE 165

parents of Jesus discover that He is not in tlie
company of the pious pilgrims, they instantly re-
trace their steps, and having at length found Him,
they give vent to their sorrow in these words of
tender complaint which Mary addressed to Jesus :
**Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold Thy
father and I have sought Thee sorrowing/^

3. There is one little fact mentioned in the
Gospel which places Joseph on a pinnacle of
sanctity which was, perhaps, never attained by
any human being, if we except Mary, his Immac-
ulate Spouse. Our Blessed Lord, as you know,
though clothed in human flesh, was not only man,
but also God. His will was, therefore, in perfect
conformity with the will of His heavenly Father.
Jesus could do nothing, say nothing, think nothing,
but what was in accordance with His Father's
wishes. Now what does the Gospel tell us? It
expressly declares that Jesus was subject to Mary
and Joseph. ' ^He went down to Nazareth and was
subject to them.'' He obeyed them as a dutiful
child obeys his father. He was attentive to all
their behests. He submitted to every duty which
they imposed on Him. He satisfied their every de-
sire. What conclusion must we draw from this
consideration? The necessary conclusion is that
Joseph was a man of unparalleled sanctity: that
all his admonitions were stamped with the seal of
divine approbation. In a word, that he never

166 A EETEOSPECT OF PIFTY YEAES

sinned in commanding since Jesus could not sin
in obeying. Do we not see that the voice of Joseph
was the echo of the voice of God since the Divine
Son fulfilled no precept of the earthly parent
which was not approved by the Eternal Father in
Heaven ?

Yes, 0 holy Patriarch, thou art elevated not only
above men, but even above the angelic choirs. For
to which of the angels, or archangels, or principal-
ities or powers did God give authority over His
Son? To none. They all minister to Him and in
His presence they stand in awe. Truly then, 0
privileged Saint, may we apply to thee those words
of Holy Scripture: ''No one was found like to
thee who hast kept the law of the Most High.''

On this day which is dedicated to the Patronage
of St. Joseph, invoke the intercession, ask the pro-
tection of your great Patron for yourselves and
for your families.

Joseph can hear your prayers ; he can assist you,
and he is most willing to aid you.

Our knowledge is very limited. We see with our
eyes, we hear with our ears. But the Saints in
Heaven see all things in God as in a mirror.
*' There shall be joy in Heaven, among the blessed,
upon one sinner doing penance." How could the
Blessed rejoice in the conversion of a sinner, un-
less they know what he does, what he says and
what he thinks; for, conversion is the work of

ST. JOSEPH'S, BALTDIOKE 167

the heart. And if, my Brethren, the humblest in-
habitant of Heaven standing at the foot of God's
Throne is not ignorant of our condition, how inti-
mate must be Joseph's knowledge of our wants,
who, while on earth, was intrusted with the secrets
of the Incarnate Word.

The Saints can aid us by their prayers, and
therefore Joseph can. We read in the Scriptures
that when the children of Israel were contending
against the enemies of God's people, while Josue
fought in the valley, Moses prayed on the moun-
tain, and Moses did more by his silent prayer than
Josue did with his sword. If the intercession of
Moses was so efficacious against the visible enemies
of God's people, how much more powerful will be
the prayer of Joseph against our invisible foes;
if Mosies on the earthly mountain had so much in-
fluence, how much greater is that of Joseph on
the Mountain of God in Heaven. If Moses the
servant had so much power, how much greater is
that of the Foster-father, Protector and Guard-
ian of our Divine Lord. Jesus, in ascending to
Heaven, has not forgotten his earthly protector.
In that blessed abode He still retains His Human-
ity as well as His Divinity, His early love, grati-
tude and filial obedience. As He loved and obeyed
Joseph on earth. He still loves and listens to him
in Heaven.

And, my brethren, need I tell you that Joseph

168 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

loves to serve you? ''Will a father forget Ms
children, or a mother the fruit of her womb?'*
Even so, Joseph will not forget you. He loves
you as tenderly as the Patriarch Joseph, the son
of Jacob, loved his brethren. And as the Patriarch
Joseph embraced his brothers in the land of Egypt
and satisfied their wants, so will the second Joseph
embrace you and fill you with good things. You
are his brethren; you are his Benjamins for you
are the last born family of God.

Pray then to Joseph to obtain for you: 1. An
increase of divine favors ; or if you have lost grace
by sin, ask for a return of His divine gifts. Our
Lord was carried off from His home in Nazareth
to escape the vengeance of Herod ; and it was only
at the death of that impious prince that He was
restored to His home by St. Joseph, and peace
reigned in the land.

Perhaps some tyrant passion more hateful to
Our Lord than Herod was, has forced Him to de-
part from our soul which He would wish to make
his true habitation. Perhaps the kingdom within
us is now desolate without Him. Let us remember
that while Herod rules over us, Christ will not
return. We should then dethrone this monster
r.nd invite our true King to rule over us, invoking
the aid of Joseph to help us in dethroning the
one and enthroning the other ; thus bringing Jesus
back to our hearts, as he brought Him back to

ST. JOSEPH'S, BALTIMORE 169

Nazareth. Then we shall enjoy the empire of
peace.

2. Pray for a happy death. *'A11 is well that
ends well.^' Joseph is the Patron of a happy
death. He died in the arms of Jesus. Pray that
the Spirit of Our Lord may be with you at that
critical moment which will decide your eternal
destiny. The best prayer I can offer for you is
this: *^May your soul die the death of the just
man (Joseph) and may your last end be like unto
his.'^

APOSTOLIC MISSION OF
IRISH RACE

ST. PATRICK
THE APOSTOLIC MISSION OF THE IRISH RACE *

"I have appointed you that you should go and bring forth
fruit; and that your fruit should remain." St. John xv. 16.

T used to be a time honored practice of the
American people np to a half century ago in
many parts of the country, to have the Dec-
laration of Independence read before them on the
Fourth of July, in order that the spirit of patriot-
ism might be stirred up in their breasts, and that
they might have a deeper love and reverence for
their free institutions which were purchased for
them by the wisdom and heroism of their
ancestors.

I hope that the gradual decay of this laudable
custom has not diminished in the hearts of our
countrymen their veneration for this immortal
proclamation of political faith.

So do you, my Brethren, annually meet, as you
do today, in the house of God to revive in your

* Preached in St. Patrick's Church, Baltimore, March 17, 1871

170

MISSION OF lEISH lUCE 171

hearts the love of religion and of fatherland, by
celebrating the praises of the illustrious Saint
through whose labors your ancestors passed from
idolatry to the worship of the true God, from bar-
barism to civilization, and from the state of spir-
itual bondage to the enjoyment of the glorious
liberty of the children of God.

On this hallowed day, wherever an Irishman is
to be found (and where is he not found), he
can truly say in the language of the Mantuan
poet: ^'Quaenam regio in terris nostri non plena
lahorisf' (AYhat land on earth has not reaped
the fruit of our labors!)— wherever he is, whether
under the burning sun of the tropics, or amid the
snows of the Artie regions, whether in the wilds
of Australia, or in the forests of America, on the
shores of the Atlantic or the Pacific— on this day
he thinks of '^Auld Lang Syne.'' To his native
land he says with heartfelt emotion :

"Where e'er I roam, whatever lands I see,
My heart still fondly turns to thee."

Like the children of Israel exiled from their
native home, Jerusalem, as they sat by the rivers
of Babylon, and wept when they remembered Sion,
so do you revisit- in spirit today the land of your
childhood, the home of your fathers. You walk
through the daisied fields of your native soil. Or

172 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

perhaps you tread with reverent footsteps the
venerable graveyard ; you stand by the cross which
marks the spot where lie the remains of your
father and mother, while you shed tears of grati-
tude to their memory, and offer a prayer for their
immortal spirits.

St. Patrick was born in Scotland, as is now
generally believed, though Gaul also claims the
honor of having given birth to your Apostle. His
early life like that of many other distinguished
men is more or less clouded in obscurity.

Twice during his youthful years he was reduced
to servitude in Ireland. Having escaped from his
Pagan master, he was inspired by a special visita-
tion of divine grace to consecrate himself to the
sacred ministry. He afterwards visited Gaul and
Italy, and received episcopal consecration from
the hands of Saint Maximus, Bishop of Turin.
He was commissioned to preach the Gospel to the
Irish by Pope St. Celestine who then governed the
universal Church. His labors, as every one knows,
were crowned with almost unprecedented success.

II.

The conversion of Ireland is marked by four
characteristics which have scarcely a parallel in
the whole range of ecclesiastical history. The con-

MISSION OF IRISH EA.CE 173

version of tlie people was sudden. It was affected
ivithout bloodshed. It has been productive of the
fnost abundant fruits. The spark of faith, once
planted in their hearts, has never been extin-
guished.

Never did any Apostle more literally fulfil the
commands of our Saviour: ''I have appointed
you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should remain.''

Like Caesar, he could say: '*I came, I saw, I
conquered." But more favored than Caesar, the
fruit of Patrick's victory still remains. There is
no one now to reverence Caesar's name, while mil-
lions of Patrick's children rise up today and call
him blessed.

No people were ever converted with greater
rapidity than the Irish race. I shall not stop here
to ask whether their prompt acceptance of the
Gospel was due to the extraordinary zeal of the
preacher, or to the pliant and receptive disposi-
tion of the hearers. I am convinced that both
causes concurred in producing the harvest of souls.
The seed was good and it fell on rich soil. St.
Patrick succeeded, in the early days of his min-
istry, in converting several of the kings of the
different septs, and their example exerted a salu-
tary influence on the people, and tended strongly
to facilitate their entrance into the fold of Christ.

174 A RETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

III.

The conversion of Ireland was affected with-
out bloodshed. The Apostles of other nations had
to seal the Gospel with their blood before it bore
fruit in the hearts of the people. **The blood of
martyrs was the seed of Christians. ' ' The pioneer
missionaries of America and of China, as well as
the first Apostles of Continental Europe, gener-
ally sacrificed their lives in the cause of Chris-
tianity before their labors were crowned with
success.

But to the honor of Ireland be it said that her
children were never stained with the blood of
martyrs. St. Patrick gained over them a bloodless
as well as a rapid victory.

This was a happy period of the nation's exist-
ence when, like Adam fresh from the hands of
his Creator, the people just emerged from the dark
night of Paganism to the admirable light of the
Gospel. They all believed the same truths, wor-
shipped at the same altar. Their songs of praise
to God went forth from one end of the Island
to the other. Charity overspread the land. Ee-
ligious bigotry — that bane of society — was un-
known. The foot of the invader had not yet
oppressed their soil ; the apple of discord had not
been thrown among them to divide their counsels
and array them against each other.

. MISSION OF IRISH RACE 175

rv.

The conversion of the nation bore abundant
fruit. So numerous and so flourishing were the
religious institutions which sprang up on the
Island that it has been justly called ^Hhe Island
of Saints" {Insula Sanctorum), The venerable
monuments scattered over the country, and im-
posing even in their ruins, attest the splendor of
her ancient churches and monasteries.

Ireland deserves also the title of Island of
* learned men", (Insula Doctorum). During the
Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Centuries,
Europe was devastated by hordes of barbarians
who rushed like a torrent from the north, carrying
with them ruin and devastation everywhere. The
Goths and Vandals invaded Italy. The Saracens
overran Spain. The Anglo-Saxons took posses-
sion of England, routing the native Britons.

During these disorders and revolutions, litera-
ture was abandoned and religion was more or less
neglected, for *^ during war laws and letters are
silent. ' ^

Meantime Ireland was in the enjoyment of com-
parative peace and devoted herself to the pursuits
of science. While the sons of Europe and Britain
buckled on the sword, the sons of Ireland were
wielding *Hhe pen which is mightier than the

176 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

sword/' The consequence was that a multitude of
young men flocked from the continent and England
to Ireland, to pursue in peace the paths of litera-
ture which were closed to them in their own coun-
tries.

The Venerable Bede informs us that poor schol-
ars were not only educated gratuitously in Ireland,
but that they were also supplied with books and
board, free of all expense. Indeed a temporary
residence in Ireland was then considered almost
indispensable to acquire literary fame.

But Irish saints and scholars were not content
with fanning the flame of religion and knowledge
in their own country, they also carried the torch
of faith and science to the most distant parts of
Europe. Irish missionaries could be found on the
banks of the Danube and in the Apennines. They
spread the Gospel in Denmark, Sweden, Norway,
Gaul, Switzerland, the Low Countries, and even in
Britain.

And is not Ireland repeating today for the
United States what she has already accomplished
for Europe? Is not this country chiefly indebted
to her for its faith? There are few churches
erected from Maine to California, from Canada to
Mexico which Irish hands have not helped to build,
which Irish purses have not supported, and in
which Irish hearts are not found worshipping.

MISSION OF IRISH EACE 177

She contributes not only to the materiel but also
to the personnel of the Church in this country. A
large proportion of our Bishops and clergy are of
Irish origin or descent.

Children of Erin, whatever may be said of Irish
misrule which has led to so much forced emigra-
tion, adore in silence the mysterious providence of
God who has been pleased to make you the instru-
ments of His mercy in the propagation of the Gos-
pel throughout the land ! Say with Joseph ban-
ished to Egypt: *^It is not by the counsel of men
that we are sent hither, but by the will of God
Who hath made us,'' His humble agents in the
salvation of souls.

God so directs human events as to make even our
calamities and humiliations stepping-stones to our
future elevation. Had the Trojan war never
occurred and had the inhabitants of Troy
remained in peaceful possessison of their native
soil from which they were expelled, they would
never with ^neas at their head, have taken a
leading part in founding the Eoman Empire.

In like manner, if the people of Ireland had not
been the victims of long misrule, and if they had
not suffered from dire poverty at home, they
would not have contributed so effectually to the
establishment and prosperity of the greatest
Eepublic in the world. Her sons and daughters

178 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

would not be as tliey are today the providential
agents in the development of the Republic, in this
hemisphere, and in upbuilding the walls of Sion.

How applicable to the Irish race are these
words which Tobias addressed to his Hebrew
countrymen exiled in Nineveh: *'Give glory to
the Lord, ye children of Israel, and praise Him in
the sight of the Gentiles. Because He has there-
fore scattered you among the Gentiles who know
Him not, that you may declare His wonderful
works, and make them know that there is no other
Almighty God besides Him/'

If you are denied the privilege of placing the
harp — your national emblem — over the garrisons
and public buildings of your fair land, to you is
assigned among all the nations of the earth, the
higher honor of planting the cross, the banner of
salvation, in many countries throughout the globe.

To whom then can I apply with more propriety
than to you those words of St. Peter : *' You are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a purchased people, that you may declare
His virtues Who hath called you out of darkness
to His admirable light.''

And may I not say in a literal sense what St.
Paul in a qualified sense affirmed of the Eomans :
**I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ,
that your faith is spoken of in the whole world."

MISSION OF IRISH RACE 179

V.

But what is to the immortal credit of Ireland, the
faith once established, took such deep root in the
hearts of the people that it never could be
uprooted, but continues as fresh and green as the
hills of their own Emerald Isle.

* ^ Alone '^, says Lord Macauley, the English his-
torian, ^' among the Northern nations, the Irish
adhered to the ancient Church.'^

The great religious Eevolution of the Sixteenth
Century swept like a torrent over Northern
Europe, drawing several nations into the vortex
of total or partial apostacy from the faith, and car-
rying spiritual desolation to millions of souls.
More than half of Germany followed the new
teachings of Luther and his disciples. Switzerland
yielded to the doctrines of Zwinglius. The faith
of Sweden was lost through the unsparing sword
of her King, Gustavus Vasa. Denmark exchanged
the old for the new religion through the intrigues
of King Christian 11. Catholicity was crushed in
Norway and Iceland. Henry VIII succeeded in
establishing the new Gospel in England, while
John Knox was the standard-bearer of heresy in
Scotland. Calvinism had gained such a foothold
in France that the faith of that Catholic nation
trembled in the balance.

How did Ireland fare all this time?

180 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

''Oft doomed to death, tliougli fated not to die.''
Though tried as no other nation was tried before,
she passed through the terrible ordeal, like the
three children in the fiery furnace, with the gar-
ment of faith as pure and unsullied as when she
was enrobed with it on the day of her baptism.

And yet in no other nation was persecution
more violent and more protracted than in Ireland.
For three hundred years she had to resist the
oppression of the most powerful nation on the face
of the earth.

I shall not occupy your time nor harrow your
feelings by giving you a detailed account of the
religious persecutions your country suffered dur-
ing the last three centuries. I shall content myself
with a passing review of the trials she endured
during the Cromwellian invasion of the Seven-
teenth Century. The few facts I shall present are
quoted exclusively from English writers who are
above the suspicion of partiality.

The policy of Cromwell whose name was the
incarnation of all that was heartless and cruel,
was to depopulate Ireland of its Catholic race,
and to colonize it with a people of a different coun-
try and religion. Forty thousand brave officers
and men, the bone and sinew of the land, were
compelled to seek refuge in France, in Spain,
Austria, and the Eepublic of Venice, where they

MISSION OF lEISH RACE 181

fouglit with proverbial valor in defense of their
adopted countries, and where some of their
descendants are to this day holding the highest
posts of distinction. At a subsequent period when
England and France were contending in battle at
Fontenoy, and when Irish valor at a critical mo-
ment turned the scales of victory on the side of
France, George II is reported to have exclaimed :
** Cursed be those laws which have robbed me of
such subjects." * Sixty thousand women and chil-
dren were driven to the seashore, packed in ships
and sent to the "West Indies and the American
Colonies. Cromwell in the meantime in^dted the
Puritans of New England to settle in Ireland, an
offer which they declined to accept.

The large landed proprietors that remained at
home were deprived of their possessions, and many
of them put to death. No member of the pro-
scribed religion was permitted to live in any town
or garrison. They were forbidden under penalty
of high treason to assemble in greater numbers
than four. They were not allowed to carry or to
possess arms. If they crossed the prescribed lim-
its, they were liable to be shot without process of
law.

Education was denied them unless attended with
loss of faith. Insult was added to injury. The

* Bruodin estimates the number at 100,000.

182 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

people were robbed of their possessions, and tben
taunted for their poverty. They were deprived of
the facility of education, and then insulted for
their want of learning. They were forbidden to
carry arms, and then charged with disloyalty.

The clergy of Ireland met with a much worse
fate than the laity. If the people were beaten with
rods, the clergy were scourged with scorpions.
They were ordered to quit the country within
twenty days under pain of death. Candidates for
the priesthood were obliged to pursue their studies
in foreign seminaries. Archbishop McHale, con-
secrated in 1825, was the first Prelate since the
Eeformation who received all his education in his
native land. Any clergyman that dared to return
to Ireland forfeited his life. Whoever harbored
a priest, suffered death, and whoever knew his
hiding place and did not reveal it, had both his ears
cut off.

Oh ! how well doth the description given by St.
Paul of the Saints of the Old Law, apply to those
Irish Confessors of the faith : ^^They were racked,
not accepting deliverance, that they might find a
better resurrection. They were stoned, they were
cut asunder. They were tempted. They were put
to death by the sword. They wandered about, being
in want, distressed, afflicted, wandering in deserts,
in mountains and in the caves of the earth."

MISSION OF lEISH RACE 183

And 3' et, although the monasteries and religious
houses of Ireland were leveled to the ground, to the
number, it is estimated, of six hundred, though the
churches were destroyed or sequestered for Prot-
estant worship; though every inducement was
offered to attend the dominant church, and every
penalty which ingenuity and malice could invent
was inflicted on those who attended Catholic serv-
ices; notwithstanding fines, imprisonment and
death, England could not succeed in uprooting
from the Irish heart his love for his religion and
the sacred traditions of his country. Like the
sturdy oak, the more it is exposed to the winds and
storms the more firmly it is embedded in the
ground; so was the national faith more firmly
planted in the hearts of the people, the more they
were assailed by the storms of persecution.
Eobbed of everything else, of possessions, of lib-
erty, of life, your forefathers clung with death-like
tenacity to the precious jewel of faith, clasping it
in their last breath, as the dying soldier embraces
in the battlefield the image of his mother hanging
about his neck.

Eest assured, my Brethren, that no amount of
tyranny can rob you of your Christian heritage if
70U are determined to preserve it from the assaults
of error.

184 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

VI.

After the long nigtit of civil and religious disa-
bilities, privations and persecutions, a brighter and
happier day, thank God, has dawned on your native
land.

For several decades of years, Ireland has been
steadily progressing in her political, economic and
religious spheres of activity.

English and Irish statesmen have labored suc-
cessfully in remedying the vicious laws inflicted
on the nation by their predecessors. They have
been gradually removing the shackles from her
feet. They have given heart to the people by
obtaining for them a larger measure of political
freedom. They have relieved the native population
of the intolerable incubus of an alien church, and
have eradicated once for all, the gross injustice
under which they had chafed for centuries. The
righteous indignation felt towards their former
taskmasters should now give place to a noble sense
of gratitude towards the present rulers and legis-
lators of the British Empire.

British and Irish statesmen have almost suc-
ceeded in making the Home Eule bill an accom-
plished fact. By this measure, the people of Ire-
land will be at liberty to develop their country's
resources by prompt domestic legislation, instead

MISSION OF IRISH RACE 185

of awaiting tlie tedious and irritating process of a
British Act of Parliament.

By the Land Act, the Government is steadily
and peaceably restoring to the peasantry the own-
ership of their native soil of which their fathers
had been violently dispossessed. The tenants, by a
bloodless revolution, are being quietly transformed
into land-owners on terms easy to be fulfilled, so
that now they can truly say; *^This is our own,
our native land.''

This new proprietorship inspires them with an
incentive to thrift and industry, giving them a
sense of security and contentment unknown before.

I cannot recall any benevolent legislation which
has contributed more than the Land Act to weld
together the twin sister Isles in the bonds of last-
ing friendship and enlightened co-operaiion.

I had the pleasure within the last few months of
spending some weeks in Ireland and I witnessed
the most manifest signs of religious progress,
especially in church building. I saw the indom-
itable priests and laity erecting schools, convents
and houses of worship alongside of the ruined
monuments of former days, just as the people of
Israel after their captivity, rebuilt the new Temple
of Jerusalem on the ruins of the old. And what is
still more gratifying, these structures are fully
equal in dimensions and architectural elegance to
the most stately temples of Ireland's best days.

186 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

Thus after a fierce struggle of three hundred
years ' duration, we behold Ireland today as strong
in faith as she ever was, and worshipping in more
imposing churches than she ever enjoyed before. .

The history of your country is inseparable from
her Christianity ; hence you cannot be true to your
Fatherland without being loyal to your Eeligion.
You cannot record a glorious page of Irish history
without recording at the same time the sufferings
and triumphs of the Irish Church.

The Catholic religion is as intimately interwoven
with the annals of Ireland as the golden threads
which are interlaced in a garment of cloth. And
as the fibres of the gold give beauty and brilliancy
to the tissue, so the ecclesiastical annals of Ireland
intertwined in her secular history, impart to it a
thrilling interest and brighten every page.

Tear from Irish history the golden annals of her
religious struggles, her fiery persecutions, her tri-
umphs of faith — leave these out, and Irish history
becomes a thread-bare narrative without interest,
without connection, without glory.

Ireland without her Church and her priests
would be like Eome without St. Peter's majestic
dome, or like that Basilica itself without its
Supreme Pontiff.

Ireland without the Church would be like Jerusa-
lem of old divested of her sacred Temple and her
venerable High Priest. Ireland without the

MISSION OF IRISH RACE 187

Chiirch would be like her own desecrated and
ruined monasteries, stripped of her ancient glory,
with altars dismantled, shorn of their interior
beauty, with nothing of them left save tottering
walls yielding to the decaying hand of time. In
a word, the history of Ireland without her sacred
traditions would be like the records of the Jewish
nation with their religion left out. The Hebrew
race are interesting to us not simply because they
are descended from Abraham, or because they
went down into Egypt, or because they settled in
the Promised Land ; but because they alone of all
the nations of the earth preserved the true reli-
gion, and because amid all their faults, they still
remembered Sion.

So are the people of Ireland interesting to us,
because in every vicissitude they ^'kept the faith
once delivered to the Saints, '^ and because they
displayed an indomitable religious heroism worthy
of the primitive days of the Church.

Adhere then to the ancient faith and to her
priests. Follow their counsels. They are your
true friends. What motive can they have in mis-
leading you? Do they not rejoice in your spiritual
and temporal welfare? Is not your happiness
identified with theirs? In the dreary days that
have passed, the clergy were tried and not found
wanting. When the storm of persecution swept
over the Island, when the fierce passions of reli-

188 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

gious and national hate were let loose upon the
soil ; when ravenous wolves in the character of pur-
suivants and detectives thirsted for the blood of
your ancestors, who was a more devoted friend
to them than the priest of God? He was always in
the thick of the battle.

And who in this land gives you more wholesome
advice than your Pastor? He may sometimes say
bitter things to you. But better is the rebuke of a
friend than the deceitful flattery of an enemy.

Love then and cherish that faith which the min-
isters of God preach to you and for which your
fathers suffered and laid down their lives. Imagine
you behold your martyred sires rising from their
graves, exhibiting those glorious wounds they
received for God and country, and exhorting you
like the mother of the Machabees to preserve intact
that dear-bought inheritance of the Gospel for
which they died.

Here, thank God, you are free to worship God
according to the dictates of your conscience. But
perhaps in this very security lies your greatest
danger. For security begets indifference, and
indifference is an atmosphere unhealthy to faith
and piety. Hannibal and his army were uncon-
querable as long as they were exposed to the rigors
of winter, and had the enemy before them, but the
delicious climate and indolent luxury of Capua
proved their ruin.

MISSION OF IKISH EACE 189

In conclusion, my Brethren, let me exhort you to
exhibit yourselves always as upright citizens. The
strength and security of this great Republic, of
this State, and of our beautiful city depend on the
moral rectitude, the civic virtues and the enterpris-
ing spirit of its citizens. Be temperate and indus-
trious ; practise piety towards God and good will
towards men of every creed and nationality. While
you will conscientiously adhere to your own reli-
gious principles, you will be forbearing to the
opinions of others ; and while you will show forth
a sterling loyalty to the country of your adoption,
you will treasure up in your heart a tender recol-
lection of the land of your fathers.

X

SILVER JUBILEE OF THE
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

ADDRESS ON THE OCCASION OF THE SILVER

JUBILEE OF THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY.

DELIVERED AT ST. PATRICK'S,

WASHINGTON. APRIL 15.1916.

IT is in all ways fitting that the celebration of
this anniversary should begin with the most
solemn act of Christian worship. As we
glance back over twenty-five years and follow the
growth of the Catholic University from its be-
ginning on to the present, the first prompting of
our hearts urges us to public acknowledgment of
God^s providential care and to the highest expres-
sion of our gratitude through the clean oblation
that is offered upon this altar. Whatever has been
accomplished by this institution for the advance-
ment of religion or the diffusion of knowledge,
whatever success has been won by teachers and
students, whatever support has come to this work
through zeal, self-sacrifice or generosity — all is
due to Him for whose glory the University exists.
To Him therefore we offer, through our High
Priest, Jesus Christ, the tribute of our praise and
thanksgiving. Here in His sanctuary we gather

190

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY 191

to consecrate the results of our solicitude and
effort and to implore the grace of His benediction
upon all who have shared in our labors.

Under the Divine guidance, we are indebted to
the Holy See, by whose authority the University
was established and by whose direction its life
has been fostered and invigorated. To those great
Pontiffs of blessed memory, Leo XIII and Pius X,
we owe the foundation and the development of
the most important work ever undertaken for
Catholic education in our country. From their
successor, our Holy Father Benedict XV, we have
received expressions of paternal favor which are
all the more precious because they come from a
heart that is laden with concern for the welfare
of mankind and oppressed by the war now raging
in Europe. To him likewise we return our heart-
felt thanks, and we pray that the Prince of Peace
may grant him the happiness of seeing the world
once more united in true and lasting peace and
brotherhood.

To my colleagues in the Episcopate, I offer on
this occasion my sincere congratulation. It was
the Bishops of the United States who, in the
Plenary Council of 1866, recognized the need of a
Catholic university and voiced the desire to have
it established. It was their successors in the Coun-
cil of 1884 who took the first active measures and
petitioned the Holy See for a charter and a con-

192 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

stitution. When these were granted, it again
devolved upon tlie Bishops to organize and develop
the pontifical university. They had indeed pledged
themselves to the execution of a noble design,
worthy of the Church and of America as well.
They had seen the necessity of an institution of
learning in which the splendid tradition of the
past should take on new vigor amid the varied
activities of our age and spread throughout this
land the united benefits of religion and knowledge.
They realized that if our Catholic education was
to be strengthened in every part, if our schools and
colleges were to meet adequately the increasing
demands made upon them in so many directions,
the one means to attain the desired results was
the foundation of a center around which all our
educational agencies could be grouped and from
which each and all would derive the benefits of
earnest co-operation.

It was indeed a great step forward, but at the
same time it was a great responsibility. Not only
were the interests of Catholic education involved;
the honor of the Church was at stake. It was not
to meet the needs of a single diocese or of any
particular section of the country that the Univer-
sity was founded; but to further the welfare of
religion in every diocese, parish and home. It
was not simply a luxury of learning that we
sought for a few gifted minds, but the preserva-

CATHOLIC UNIVEESITY 193

tion of the Catholic faith in the souls of all our
people.

Pledged as they were to a work of such magni-
tude, the Bishops turned with confidence to the
faithful of whose generous zeal they had already
received so many proofs. They knew that our
Catholic people, anxious for the spiritual welfare
of their children, would respond to an appeal in
behalf of Catholic higher education. The appeal
was made, the response was given, and the Uni-
versity stands today as a monument attesting to
all later generations the devotedness and liberality
of the Catholics in the United States. I, there-
fore, at this solemn moment, make grateful
acknowledgment to all who have aided in this
holy work — to the individual donors who have
given out of their abundance, to the large-minded
Catholic associations whose united efforts have
yielded such splendid results, and in particular,
to the great number who have taken from their
scantier means to give as they could to the Uni-
versity and its exalted aims.

Thus, in a twofold sense, the University became
a sacred trust; it was committed to our care by
the Holy See, and for its endowment it was a
debtor to our Catholic people. All the more
serious, then, was the duty and more arduous the
task of establishing, organizing and developing.
There was need of counsel, of foresight, of careful,

194 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

deliberate planning for tlie initial steps and no
less for those that progress would require. Above
all, there was need of a 7nan whose soul, filled with
a holy, creative enthusiasm, would quicken the
project into living reality and make its life breathe
and pulsate in every Catholic heart. I thank God
that such a man was found in the person of the
first Eector. I rejoice with him today as he looks
upon the fruit of his labors; and I pray that he
may yet be gladdened by a richer harvest. Thou
0 beloved brother didst sow the seed amid the
snow and rains of trial and adversity. Thy
worthy successor is reaping the harvest.

To him especially is due the organization of the
University as a teaching body — the selection of its
professors, the grouping of its faculties, the order-
ing and articulation of its academic activities. It
was a task beset with difficulties, and vet it was
essential; it was the actual work of foundation
upon which the whole structure had to rest. It
called for men who had already realized in them-
selves that combination of faith and knowledge
which is the ideal of the University. It demanded
of them loyalty to the Church and unselfish devo-
tion to science. It offered to them indeed oppor-
tunity and career ; but it laid upon them the grave
obligation of shaping at its inception a work which
held in itself the promises and the hopes of religion
present and future. That men of such a character

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY 195

were chosen to fill the University chairs and that
their number has steadily increased, is a blessing
for which we cannot be too grateful. And I take
this occasion to congratulate the members of the
Faculty upon the success which has crowned their
endeavors and upon the larger prospect of useful-
ness which they have opened to our view.

All great works have their inception in the brain
of some great thinker. God gave such a brain, such
a man, in Bishop Spalding. With his wonderful
intuitionary power, he took in all the meaning of
the present and the future of the Church in
America. If the Catholic University is today an
accomplished fact, we are indebted for its exist-
ence in our generation, in no small measure, to the
persuasive eloquence and convincing arguments
of the Bishop of Peoria.

As I reflect upon the events of these twenty-five
years, the conviction that shapes itself most
clearly in my mind is this: all the reasons and
motives that led to the establishment of the Uni-
versity have been intensified in urgency and
strength; the principles which it embodies have
become more vitally necessary to the welfare of
Church and country; the expansion of its work
more important for our social and religious prog-
ress, more essential for the prosperity of our
Catholic institutions.

The chief aim of the University was, and is, to

196 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

teach tlie whole truth — that which God has re-
vealed and that which man has discovered — ^to
teach it, not simply as an abstract theory, but as
a practical guide and standard of action, as a
law, and indeed the supreme law, of human con-
duct for individual, society and nation. We hold
that religion is not for the child alone nor only for
simple, untutored minds; it is for men as their
first duty, and it lays most stringent obligation on
those whose intelligence is most fully enlightened.
We hold, in consequence, that the higher educa-
tion must give a larger place to the imparting of
religious knowledge, and that the highest educa-
tion is precisely the field in which religion should
be most thoroughly cultivated and its practice
most constantly fostered. A university, whether
it emphasize culture, or research, or professional
training, is a maker of men, a framer of ideals, a
school for leaders. It forms opinion not only by
what it teaches but also by its selection of the sub-
jects which it considers deserving of study. It
influences its immediate students, but it gives a
lesson of far wider import to the community at
large, by its omissions as well as by its positive
instruction. And all this it does more effectually
in proportion as it excels through the learning of
its professors, the abundance of its resources and
the prestige of its traditions.

This conviction as to the necessity of religion in

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY 197

higher education is not, I understand, shared by-
all even of those who are most competent to define
the scope and nature of a university. It has not
found expression in the organization of many of
the universities that are, in other respects, so
creditable to our country. Nor has it been, so far
as I can see, the guilding principle in many of the
great educational movements by which the na-
tional character is supposed to get the form and
fibre of true citizenship.

Yet I venture to say that at no time in the his-
tory of thought has there been such searching
inquiry into the fundamental doctrines of Chris-
tianity and of every other system of religious
belief. At no period in our country's develop-
ment has the basis of morality in public and in
private life been subjected to so keen a scrutiny.
To no earlier generation have the problems of
human existence and human destiny been pre-
sented with such penetrating clearness, or their
solution shrouded in such helpless uncertainty.
Perplexed by innumerable theories that swing
from one extreme to another, the most learned and
most honest investigators have exclaimed: igno-
ramus et ignorahimus. Like the Athenians of old
they would fain have written upon the temple of
their fruitless quest — *^To the unknown God.''

Truly the time had come for the voice of Paul
to make itself heard in the Areopagus of culture

198 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

and ceaseless speculation. Tlie time was ripe for
a restatement, in terms tliat the men of this day
could understand, of the truth about the God in
whom *'we live and move and have our being."
There was wanted, as never before, an interpreta-
tion of nature and its laws which should make it
plain that ^Hhe invisible things of God, from the
creation of the world, are clearly seen, being un-
derstood by the things that are made.'' Our
unprecedented advance in physical science should
have reminded us that the ultimate ground of the
universe is not ^4ike unto gold or silver or stone
graven by art and man's device," that the God-
head, whereof we are the offspring, is the sov-
ereign intelligence whose design we are stri\dng
to trace, and therefore that all thought and all
teaching about the world, its evolution and its
origin, is incomplete if it disregard the Supreme
Cause and our relations to Him.

During this period, likewise, while science has
given us countless new evidences of the inviolable
order and harmony that pervade all things — of
the *^ reign of law" in nature — man himself has
claimed and won a larger liberty. The former
restraints upon individual action have been
loosened, the older and more rigid forms of gov-
ernment have yielded to the pressure of the
democratic spirit, and this freedom, widening with
the spread of knowledge, has apparently left to

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY 199

each man the shaping of his ideals and their at-
tainment, the ordering of his life in the pursuit
of happiness and fortune.

But this very assertion and recognition of per-
sonal rights has pointed out more forcibly than
ever their natural and necessary mutual limitation.
There is no real liberty without law, and there is
no meaning or validity to law unless it be ob-
served. The growth of democracy does not imply
that each man shall become a law unto himself,
but that he shall feel in himself the obligation to
obey. If the enacting power has been transferred
from the will of the ruler to the will of the people,
the binding, coercive power has been laid, with
greater stress of responsibility than ever before,
upon the individual conscience. Unless men be
taught that obedience is right and honorable and
necessary alike for private interest and for the
common weal, legislation will avail but little, the
law-making power will become a mockery and the
people themselves will be the first to complain
that legislation has been carried to excess. They
should learn that obedience is not an act of ser-
vility we pay to man but an act of homage we pay
to God, whose representative he is.

Now conscience itself has need of a higher sanc-
tion, of an enlightenment, of a principle of direc-
tion superior in wisdom to any merely human
sense of justice. And the need becomes greater

200 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

as the people, with reason or without reason, are
led to the conviction that power, even in a
democracy, can be abused, and that legislation is
not always the surest remedy for wrong or the
strongest safeguard of right.

But if education in its highest form pay no
regard to religious truth, then I ask, by what
means shall the conscience of the nation be de-
veloped! If men are taught that the laws of
nature must be obeyed, yet learn nothing of a
divine law-giver, what bound can be set or hind-
rance placed to the self-seeking tendencies, the
passion of greed and the strife for domination that
threaten to make life merely a struggle for ex-
istence? What guarantee of peace at home and
abroad can we secure, what respect for the rights
of a people, what confidence in the agreement of
nations, if men are responsible to no higher
tribunal, if force is the ultimate resort and the
final arbitration?

The past quarter century has been marked by
the study of problems that aif ect in a very practical
way the well-being of humanity, that spring, as it
were, from the very nature of our condition here
upon earth, from our progress in knowledge, our
political organization and our economic situation.
I refer to the problems which have made possible
and necessary the social sciences, and which there-
fore have demanded a more systematic inquiry

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY 201

than ever before into our human relations. The
structure of society, the origin and history of
institutions, the causes of decline, the possibility
of betterment — all these, I am aware, are questions
that can be treated from the standpoint of theory
pure and simple. But whatever conclusions may
be reached on the theoretical side, the fact still
remains that there are evils in the concrete to be
remedied, and that men and women of the highest
intelligence and purpose are seeking the remedy
that shall prove most effectual.

There is still much to be done for the relief of
suffering and for the development of those virtues
which are indispensable to our social existence.
More vital than anything else, there is the increas-
ing necessity of securing the family tie and of
sanctifying the home as the original source of
purity, of upright living, of conscientious dealing
with the f ellowman, of genuine patriotic endeavor.
In a word, there are pressing wants which legisla-
tion alone cannot fully supply, but which appeal
all more strongly to the nobler instincts of our
nature.

In view of these conditions, I cordially welcome
the fact that the ideal of service is so widely
accepted, and that in so many ways it is finding
beneficent realization. I rejoice at this, because
I believe that those who are striving in behalf of
their fellowmen, will be drawn by experience to a

202 A RETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

fuller acceptance of the Gospel and a firmer hold
on the teachings of Him who is the way, the truth
and the life. For the sake of this belief, I cherish
the hope that, from the practice of fraternal love,
a returning wave of influence may sweep over and
through our educational agencies, and permeate
them with the spirit and doctrine of Christ. I
look forward to the day when our institutions of
learning, so prolific of benefit to our material
existence, will regard as their worthiest aim the
formation of character in accordance with the one
perfect Model.

The need of God — this is what I find as I con-
sider what has come to pass in these twenty-five
years: the need of a divine truth to complete our
search after knowledge, the need of a divine law
to secure the justice of our human enactments and
their proper observance, the need of an earnest
faith in the gentle ministration of love. To supply
this need is, in my judgment, an undertaking of
the highest value, worthy of the best effort that
learning and authority can put forth. It is a duty
that we owe to the Church and to our country. It
is, in particular, a duty that the University owes to
the youth of the land, who must take up in their
turn the responsibilities of the nation, the pres-
ervation of its moral life, the maintenance of its
liberties.

But it is also an undertaking and a duty which

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY 203

require the union and co-operation of all our
forces. There must be clear understanding of
aims, judicious selection of means, and wise dis-
tribution of labor. There must be no waste of
effort but the utmost economy, no scattering of
pursuits, but close concentration; and concentra-
tion is impossible without a center.

I deem it, therefore, a reason for congratulation
and a source of encouragement that such a center
has been established in the Catholic University.
This much, we can truly say, has been accom-
plished, and this was the first essential requisite
in the furtherance of our common aim. The Uni-
versity has gathered into one body, as teachers
and as students, representatives of the priesthood
and of the laity. One after another the religious
Orders have established at this center their houses
of study, to join haiids with the diocesan clergy in
building up the stronghold of knowledge for the
protection of the Catholic faith. Our colleges,
academies and high schools are shaping their work
in accordance with the standards established by the
University. Our Catholic associations are turning
to it as the agency which is best able to do what-
ever education can do towards the realization of
their noble purposes. And now that our charitable
organizations have found it helpful to consult with
one another for the solution of their numerous
problems, they likewise have chosen the Uni-

204 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

versity as the appropriate center of their delibera-
tions.

Thanks to these co-operative movements there is
growing up in our Catholic people a stronger sense
of their responsibility in the matter of education
and at the same time a clearer consciousness of
their ability to do their full share toward the
preservation of those moral and religious inter-
ests which are vital to the home and to the nation.
They are coming to realize that as their fore-
fathers in the ages of faith created the first uni-
versities, so in their own day and country they
are building a great central school which they will
transmit as a precious inheritance to all genera-
tions.

In the growth of the University, twenty-five
years is but as a day ; in the life of the individual,
it counts for much more. I regard it as a special
favor granted me by Almighty God that I have
been permitted to devote so much of my time to
this sacred cause. From the beginning, the Uni-
versity has been for me an object of deepest per-
sonal concern. Through its growth and through
its struggles, through all the vicissitudes which it
has experienced, it has been very near to my heart.
It has cost me, in anxiety and tension of spirit,
far more than any other of the duties or cares
which have fallen to my lot. But for this very
reason, I feel a greater satisfaction in its progress.

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY «05

I feel amply compensated for whatever I have
been able to do in bearing its burdens and in help-
ing it through trial to prosperity and success. I
thank Heaven that my hopes have not been in
vain, and I rejoice that the future of the Uni-
versity is now assured. In the same spirit, I shall
strive, so long as life and strength may be given
me, for the further development of the work which
we have undertaken for the glory of God, the pros-
perity of religion and the welfare of our country.
I shall look with increasing confidence to our gen-
erous clergy and people for good-will and support,
to the University itself for a timely solution of
the problems which education offers, and, above,
all, to the Divine assistance which I earnestly
implore for the guidance of our common endeavor
to the ends which the University is destined to
accomplish.

WILL THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC

ENDURE?

WILL THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC ENDURE?

PREACHED IN THE BALTIMORE

CATHEDRAL. NOV. 3.1912.

"Open ye the gates that the righteous nation that keepeth
the truth may enter in: Thou hast increased the nation, O
Lord, Thou art glorified." — Isaiah xxvi, 2:16.

IT is the habit of pessimistic prophets to predict
that our Government will soon come to an
end, and that it is already in the throes of
dissolution, and that the disaster is sure to be
hastened, if their favorite candidate is defeated.
These prophecies are usually more frequent on the
eve of a Presidential election. I have been listen-
ing to these dire prognostications for over half a
century.

But in every instance the American people wake
up on the morning after election to find that they
were disquieted by false alarms and that the Gov-
ernment is transacting its business in the same
quiet and orderly manner as before.

I propose this morning to state as briefly as
possible the grounds of my confidence in the sta-
bility and endurance of the American Eepublic.

206

THE REPUBLIC 207

By a wise provision of the Constitution of the
United States, political authority is not concen-
trated in one individual, or in one department of
the administration, but is judiciously distributed,
so that the balance of power may be preserved.
Our general government consists of the Executive,
the Legislative and the Judicial branches. If any-
thing goes wrong with any one of these depart-
ments, if it wanders from the path marked out for
it by the Constitution, the evil is checked by the
other two, and usurpation of power is pre-
vented. There is an habitual jealousy among
these branches. They are on the alert, jealously
watching one another, so that no one branch may
exceed its legitimate bounds. Eternal vigilance is
the price of liberty.

Then again, besides the Federal administration,
we have State Governments, and county rule ; we
have city and town and village municipalities. If
all of these minor corporations were absorbed by
the general government, if our governors, and
State Legislators, and sheriffs, and mayors an^
councilmen were all under the control of the
President ; if he could at will decapitate all obnox-
ious subordinate rulers, with one blow, all our
political liberties would be at an end. But happily
all these lesser officials en^'oy full autonomy in
their spheres and are independent of the Chief
Magistrate.

208 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

Our system of Government is very complex. It
may be compared to a colossal engine containing
innumerable wheels within wheels. Each wheel
works in its own orbit like the planetary system.
If the great Federal wheel gets out of order, the
smaller wheels do not stop, they are not much
deranged, but keep on revolving till the big
machine is repaired.

We are all familiar with the memorable Titanic
disaster which resulted in the loss of so many
precious lives, as well as the peerless vessel itself.
Had all the compartments of that steamship been
watertight, the loss of life would have been
avoided.

Now our Government is often called a Ship of
State. This great ship of state is divided into
forty-eight minor States. Each of these States
may be said to be water-proof, in the sense that
the engulfing of one, would not involve the sink-
ing of the others. California, for example, might
be overwhelmed by the waters of a political revo-
lution without disturbing the neighboring States
of Washington, Nevada or Arizona.

If our States were mere Provinces or Terri-
tories without autonomy and sovereignty, like
other Republics less favored than ours, we would
enjoy less stability and less hope of enduring free-
dom than we now possess.

The safety and permanence therefore of our

THE REPUBLIC 209

Eepublic largely depends on the autonomy of the
several States, without the danger of being
absorbed by the general Government. Should our
Governors and Legislators ever become the sub-
servient creatures of the federal Government,
they would be mere puppets, subject to the will of
the Chief Executive. They would cease to be
water-proof, and would share the fate of the
Titanic.

Two momentous crises occurred in my own day
which were well calculated to test the vitality and
strength of the Eepublic. The first was the war
between the States, when the nation was cut in
twain, when fratricidal blood was shed over the
land and a tremendous conflict was carried on for
four years. This calamity has happily ended and
the dismembered States are now more firmly
united than ever before, because slavery, which
was the bone of contention, has been removed,
once and forever.

The second crisis occurred in the Presidential
contest in 1876 between Tilden and Hayes. Mr.
Tilden was robbed of the fruit of the victory
which, according to the prevailing belief at the
time, he honestly won, and by questionable de-
vices Mr. Hayes was declared the successful candi-
date.

A nation that could survive these terrible
strains, must be possessed of extraordinary vital-

210 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

ity and resources, and leads us to hope that in any
future emergency, the leaders and statesmen of
the Republic will rise to the occasion and bring
order out of chaos.

Another strong ground of confidence I have in
the stability and permanence of the Republic, rests
on the enlightenment, the good sense and patriot-
ism of the American people. You and your fathers
have now for a century and a quarter experienced
and enjoyed the blessings of a strong and free gov-
ernment. And if you compare the results of our
political system with those of other civilized
nations, I do not think that our Republic, with all
its drawbacks and shortcomings, will suffer in the
comparison. You can say: * ^America, with all thy
faults, I love thee still.''

'Cold, indeed, and torpid, obtuse and apathetic
is the soul that is not aroused to warmth and
enthusiasm in contemplating the history of the
United States which has been the home of liberty
and the haven of rest to downtrodden millions in
other lands.

But the survival of the American Republic must
rest on a more stable foundation than the patriot-
ism of our citizens, the genius of our statesmen
and the wisdom of our laws. It must have a
stronger basis than fleets of dreadnoughts and
standing armies ; for ^ ' the race is not to the swift,
nor the battle to the strong.'' Our enduring sta-

THE REPUBLIC 211

bility can be secured only under the abiding pro-
tection of the Lord of Hosts.

The history of the Jewish people from the days
of Abraham to their dispersion among the Gen-
tiles, gives a forcible illustration of this truth : that
those people are victorious in the end, who have
the God of battles on their side, and that He is
with them who have unfailing confidence in His
protection.

'^Eighteousness," says the Book of Proverbs,
**exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to the
people.'' If our Eepublic is to be perpetuated, if
it is to be handed down unimpaired to future gen-
erations, it must rest on the eternal principles of
justice, truth and righteousness, and downright
honesty in our dealings with other nations, it must
be sustained by the devout recognition of an over-
ruling Power Who governs all things by His wis-
dom, whose superintending Providence watches
over the affairs of nations as well as of men, with-
out Whom not even a bird can fall to the ground.
One of the leaders of the Convention that assem-
bled in Philadelphia to frame the Constitution of
the United States, made the following sage remark
to his colleagues : ** We have spent many days and
weeks in our deliberations, and we have accom-
plished little or nothing. We have been groping in
the dark, because we have not sought light from
the Father of lights to illumine our understand-

212 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

ing. I liave lived for many years, and the older I
grow, the more I am convinced that a Supreme
Power interferes in the affairs of mankind. For
if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His
knowledge, how can an empire rise without His
co-operation? And we also know from the same
Sacred Volume, that 'unless the Lord build the
house, he laboreth in vain who buildeth.' "

And happily for the nation, this humble recog-
nition of a superintending Power has been upheld
from the dawn of the Eepublic to our own time.
What a striking contrast we present in this respect
to our Sister Eepublic across the Atlantic, which
once bore the proud title of '* eldest daughter of
the Church.'' The leaders of the French Eepublic
are so far carried away by the tide of unbelief
that they studiously eliminate the name of God
from their official utterances. How different is
the conduct of our leaders and statesmen ! They
have all paid homage to the moral Governor of
the world. All the Presidents of the United States,
from George Washington to William Howard Taft,
have invariably invoked the aid of our heavenly
Father in their inaugural Proclamations. It is
also the edifying custom of our Chief Magistrate
to invite his fellow citizens to assemble in their
respective places of worship on the last Thursday
of November, to offer thanksgiving to the Giver of
all gifts for the blessings vouchsafed to the nation.

THE EEPUBLIC 213

Both Houses of Congress are daily opened with
prayer. And all important civic and political con-
ventions are inaugurated by an appeal to the
throne of Grace. God's supremacy is also recog-
nized by the observance of the Christian sabbath
throughout the land.

It is true indeed that we have no official union
of Church and State in this country. But we are
not to infer from this fact that there is any antag-
onism between the civil and religious authorities,
nor does it imply any indifference to religious prin-
ciples. Far from it. Church and State move in
parallel lines. The State throws over the Church
the mantle of its protection, without interferring
with the God-given rights of conscience; and the
Church on her part renders valuable aid to the
State, in upholding the civil laws by religious and
moral sancitions.

No man should be a drone in the social bee-hive.
No man should be an indifferent spectator of the
political and economic questions which confront
him. Indifference and apathy in civic and political
life is as hurtful to the State as indifference in
religion is hurtful to the christian Commonwealth.
Our Lord says to the Bishop of Laodicea: **I
would that thou wert hot or cold ; but because thou
art lukewarm, and art neither cold nor hot, I will
begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.''

A sincere man who in attacking Christian faith,

gl4 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

honestly believes that he is right, is less blame-
worthy than the torpid, lukewarm Christian wEo
never takes an interest in the religion of Christ.
In like manner, a citizen, who earnestly and in
good faith, espouses a faulty political principle, is
less dangerous to the State than the supine citizen
who never takes an interest in the political welfare
of his country.

And it is my profound conviction that if ever the
Eepublic is doomed to decay, if the future historian
shall ever record the decline and fall of the Amer-
ican Eepublic, its downfall will be due, not to a
hostile invasion, but to the indifference, lethargy
and political apostacy of her own sons.

And if all citizens are bound to take an interest
in public affairs, that duty especially devolves on
those who are endowed with superior intelligence
and education, and who ought to be the leaders and
exemplars of the people, guiding them in the path
of political rectitude.

There are three conspicuous citizens who are
now candidates for the Presidency. Whatever may
be my private and personal preference and predi-
lection, it is not for me in this sacred pulpit or
anywhere else publicly to dictate or even suggest
to you the candidate of my choice.

May God so enlighten the mind and quicken the
conscience of the American people to a sense of
their civic duties, as to arouse in them an earnest

THE REPUBLIC 215

and practical interest in the coming election, and
may He so guide their hearts that they will select
a Chief Magistrate whose administration will re-
dound to the material prosperity and moral wel-
fare of our beloved Kepublic.

MONTH'S MIND

OF

ARCHBISHOP SPALDING

DISCOURSE IN THE BALTIMORE CATHEDRAL
AT THE MONTH'S MIND OF ARCH-
BISHOP SPALDING WHO DIED
FEBRUARY 7. 1872.

"Anna prayed to the Lord, shedding many tears. And she
made a vow, saying: 0 Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt look down
on the affliction of Thy servant, and wilt be mindful of me,
and not forget Thy hand-maid, and wilt give to Thy servant a
man-child: I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life.
I Sam. 1-10-11.

IT is a fact amply attested by the history of
mankind, that distinguished minds have been
usually blessed with mothers of a superior
character.

It was the piety of a Monica that restored an
Augustine to God and to His Church.

It was the wisdom of a Queen Blanche that
moulded the character of the good King Louis of
France.

Eoger Brooke Taney, Chief Justice of the United
States, in his Autobiography declares that, if he
remained loyal to the Catholic Religion of his fath-
ers, and if he practiced with fidelity the Christian

216

ARCHBISHOP SPALDING 217

virtues, under God, lie was most indebted to the
example and instruction of his mother Monica.

And in reflecting on the Scripture narrative
which I have just read, we may well imagine what
a potent influence was exercised by Anna in shap-
ing the sublime destiny of the Prophet Samuel.

Had Anna selfishly kept her son to herself ; had
**she loved him not wisely but too well,'' his name
might be lost to sacred history, and never recorded
in the Book of Life. But in surrendering him to
God, she was instrumental in immortalizing him
in the pages of Holy Writ, and in having him glor-
ified in Lleaven. And the honor which redounds
to the son, is reflected back upon the mother; for,
the names of Anna and Samuel shall be forever
inseparably united.

If we substitute the names of Henrietta, and
Martin John, for the names of Anna and Samuel,
we may discover some features in the lives of the
former mother and child which find their counter-
part in the personages of the Sacred text.

Henrietta Spalding, the mother of Martin John
Spalding, was noted for the purity of her life, and
the gentleness of her disposition. Probably on ac-
count of his feeble and delicate health, she mani-
fested a more tender affection for him than for her
other children.

With unconscious prophecy, she always called
kim her little Bishop. The designation she gave

218 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

him, no doubt disclosed the desire of her heart that
like Samuel, he would one day, be consecrated to
the Lord. And although she died before he reached
the years of maturity, she left on his heart and
memory the indelible impress of her maternal
virtues.

In being called from Kentucky in 1864, to preside
over the Metropolitan See of Baltimore, Arch-
bishop Spalding was coming back to the home of
his forefathers who came from Licolnshire, Eng-
lang, to Maryland in 1650, a few years after Lord
Baltimore and his colony had established their
home in *'The Land of the Sanctuary." I can
well recall the joy and enthusiasm with which he
was welcomed to his ancestral state by the citizens
of Baltimore without distinction of race or re-
ligion.

Well may we. Brethren, grieve for the loss of
our beloved chief pastor. Every day of the six
weeks that hav^e elapsed since his death, has only
intensified our bereavement, because every day
convinces us more and more of the great affliction
we have sustained. And with a sorrowful sense, I
relate it, the fresh-bleeding wounds of our hearts
are opened again by the death of your well-beloved
Eector, Very Rev. Doctor Coskery. I grieve for
thee, 0 brother ! Greater than the love of man for
woman was the affection I had for thee. Like the
Deacon Lawrence of old, who would not survive

ARCHBISHOP SPALDma 219

his father, the High Priest, Sixtus, but followed
him to martyrdom; so didst thou follow to the
grave thy beloved father whom thou hadst served
so faithfully!

The electric flash that went forth on the seventh
of February, bearing, alas ! the too speedy message
of death, brought mourning to thousands of fami-
lies throughout the land. The head was struck, and
the remotest members felt the shock.

It has paralyzed with grief you first of all, ven-
erable Brethren of the clergy. You feel that in
losing your Archbishop you have lost a kind father,
a watchful shepherd, a fearless leader, an impartial
judge. Like the Prophet Eliseus, seeing his father
Elias taken up to heaven, each of you could exclaim
on beholding your father snatched from you : * ^ My
father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the
rider thereof.^* Yes, he steered the chariot of
Israel, the Church of Baltimore, with an unerring
hand. *'Thou wert indeed the glory of Jerusalem,
thou wert the joy of Israel, thou wert the honor of
our people.'^ Judith xv. 10.

It has struck with sorrow you, faithful Brethren
of the laity, for you were justly proud of your
great Archbishop. In honoring him you honored
your religion itself, of which he was so fearless an
exponent.

And well may you weep, 0 tender orphans, for

220 A KETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

in losing your father yon liave been reduced to
orphanage a second time.

The Prelates of the United States will miss from
their ranks their distinguished brother, who was
an ornament to the hierarchy ; one whose wisdom
and learning they all admired, and upon whom
some of us younger Bishops leaned as on a staff
of support.

Even the Sovereign Pontiff will accept the news
of his death as another pang added to his many
afflictions. He recognized the Archbishop as his
highest Eepresentative in the United States, and
he loved and cherished him as a younger brother.

But this grief is not confined to those who are of
the household of the faith. It extends to all classes
and creeds of the Community. The great heart of
Baltimore has mourned him as well became the
Queen City of the South lamenting one of her
greatest citizens. You saw the whole city shedding
a tear of sorrow over his bier.

Neither wealth nor power nor station could
draw forth such heartfelt and universal respect as
was paid to the remains of Archbishop Spalding.
He had won the hearts of the people.

And you have read the notices of his life in the
press throughout the land ; they but re-echoed the
sentiments of this Archiepiscopal See. And you
rejoiced at this spontaneous and unanimous tribute
of praise, because you considered that honor paid

ARCHBISHOP SPALDING 221

to yourselves which was bestowed upon your
father.

Yes, you possess beneath this venerable Cathe-
dral his mortal remains. But the nation, the
Church at large, will guard his memory and his
fame. Yo^i bore the drooping flower to its place.
But up from this Church springs the odor of his
virtues, which will shed around thousands of homes
a sweet, delicious and hallowed fragrance for ages
to come.

I shall not attempt even a brief sketch of the
Archbishop's life. That task was ably accom-
plished in his Funeral Sermon by his venerable
brother of New York. But bear with me while I
dwell for a few moments on my personal relations
with your beloved Archbishop ; while I allude to a
few traits of his character and mention some inci-
dents of his brilliant and eventful life. My heart
and my memory are full of him, and ^'from the
fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh.^'

My acquaintance with the Archbishop em-
braced indeed only the seven last years of his life ;
commencing in 1865, when he called me to the
Cathedral, and ending with his death. But during
all that time, my relations with him were of a most
intimate and affectionate nature.

I reverenced him as a father ; and he deigned to
honor me as a son.

While attached to the Cathedral, I was his usual

222 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

companion in the various journeys he made
through the United States, either for duty or recre-
ation. The Archbishop selected me because I could
be better spared to the Cathedral than either of my
two cherished companions ; one of whom is now the
honored Bishop of Chicago, and the other has just
followed his master to his eternal reward.

It was also my distinguished privilege to accom-
pany His Grace to the great Ecumenical Council of
the Vatican. I was his inseparable companion in
our voyage across the Atlantic; during our sojourn
in England, in France, in Italy and in Eome. For
ten months we sat at the same table and slept under
the same roof. During all this time I had an excel-
lent opportunity of studying his character, and of
observing those hidden springs which gave a
motive-power to his public acts.

During the latter years of his life, the Arch-
bishop was accustomed to relax his overtaxed ener-
gies by devoting a few weeks each Summer to
recreation. He was very particular, in commencing
his journey, to recite the Itinerarmm, a collection
of prayers recommended to travellers. Having
committed his soul to God, he had no fear of acci-
dents.

He always utilized and sanctified those days of
recreation by consecrating them to the service of
religion. On visiting one of the mountain-springs
or the seashore, his first inquiry was whether the

ARCHBISHOP SPALDING 223

neighborhood contained a church or chapel and
stationary priest. Otherwise, he made provision
at once for Sunday service to be held in an apart-
ment of the hotel. He almost invariably preached ;
and the fame of his name was always sure to enlist
a large and delighted congregation.

On the last of these occasions when I was with
the Archbishop, he preached in a rustic chapel in
West Virginia. The people gathered from the
neighborhood to hear him ; and among others, were
several mothers with their infants at their breasts.
During the sermon, these babes kept up unceasing
cries to the great inconvenience of the preacher
and the annoyance of the congregation. One of the
parishioners proceeded to remove the disturbers.
But the Archbishop forbade the mothers to be
excluded, remarking to me, as we returned to the
hotel: ^'I would suffer any inconvenience r.ather
than deprive those poor mothers of the satisfac-
tion of hearing Mass and of listening to the word
of God.''

On the occasion of this visit to the Springs, the
Archbishop was informed that the proprietor of
the hotel had fallen away from the religion of his
ancestors, and had also modified the spelling of
his name. Desiring to cultivate the acquaintance
of his Grace, he asked the Archbishop whether he
spelt his name Spaulding, or omitted the letter il
Sir, the Archbishop briskly replied, the Spaldings

224 A RETROSPECT OF EIFTY YEARS

who never changed their faith, have never altered
the spelling of their name. They were never
ashamed of their faith or their name.

The style of his preaching was eminently prac-
tical. Though his discourses possessed a depth of
reasoning and a sublimity of thought calculated to
rivet the attention of the most enlightened audi-
ence, they were always sufficiently plain to be
within the level of the simplest understanding. His
preaching was not for display, but for spiritual
profit. ^^His speech," like that of St. Paul, ^^was
not in the persuasive words of human wisdom, but
in the showing of the spirit and power of God."
He had so clear a perception of the truth, that he
was impatient of error. Yet he never wilfully gave
offense to his dissenting brethren. I have often
heard him expose in emphatic terms the errors of
the day ; yet his non-Catholic hearers, though win-
cing under the strokes of his keen logic, left the
church in the best of humor with the preacher.
And why! Because they saw in the venerable
Archbishop an openness of countenance, a candor
of expression, an earnestness of manner, which
convinced his hearers that he spoke from the depth
of his heart.

The secret of the Archbishop 's effective preach-
ing lay in his strong, practical faith. Faith was the
principle of his actions. He believed intensely, and
therefore he spoke eloquently. I had the melan-

AECHBISHOP SPALDING 225

choly satisfaction of spending several hours with
his Grace during his last illness, and I had a rare
opportunity of admiring his cloudless belief and
tender piety.

On the Friday before his death I said Mass in his
room, and administered to him the Holy Viaticum ;
and, at his request, I read for him the Profession
of Catholic Faith, while two Sisters of Charity, his
faithful nurses, knelt beside him. I shall never for-
get the energy and warmth of his expression of
belief on that occasion, and which would leave the
impression on one's mind that he had learned the
truths of religion less by study than by intuition.
Every feature of his countenance bore the char-
acter of these words stamped upon it, '^7 believe/'
"Would that we had that face photographed, as it
appeared in those moments. It would be a most
eloquent sermon to unbelievers.

His devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to
the prerogatives of the Sovereign Pontiff were
peculiarly striking. Not indeed because he
believed these doctrines more than the others ; but
in the magnanimity of his soul these articles of
faith were more frequently on his lips, because
they were the more constant object of attack in
our times.

You can bear me witness, members of this Con-
gregation, that seldom did he preach without intro-
ducing the name of Mary, whose name he pro-

226 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

nounced with an expression of sucli tender piety.
He was fond of calling lier, in the language of the
Poet Wordsworth, "Our tainted nature's solitary
boast.''

He was ever ready to defend the faith and honor
of the Church, no matter in what situation he was
placed. He defended her in railroad cars; in
steamboats, and in private parlors. No question
ever remained unanswered in his presence. No
insult to her ever went unrebuked. I have often
seen him beard the lion in his den. I heard him in
Italy rebuke an Italian diplomatist for the conduct
of his government toward the Holy See. I saw
him in presence of a member of the Italian Parlia-
ment condemn its line of conduct toward the Pope.
He had the courage in the presence of an excitable
European soldiery to express his abhorrence,
when he saw them desecrate a church by using it
for profane purposes.

Under a head sound in faith, the Archbishop
carried a large heart overflowing with paternal
kindness for all his children. You, respected
Brethren of the clergy, had justly the first place
in his affections. You were, as he said, "his joy
and his crown. ' ' He loved you as faithful colabor-
ers, "who had borne with him the burden of the
day and the heats." Whenever you came as
guests to his house, he welcomed you with open
arms and personally provided for your comforts.

AKCHBISHOP SPALDING 227

He had a peculiar fondness for children because
under a hoary head of wisdom he concealed the
heart of a child. Years make our heads old. Mal-
ice alone brings wrinkles on the heart. With his
divine Master he said : ^ ' Suffer the little children
to come to me, and forbid them not, for of such is
the Kingdom of Heaven. ' ' You might observe him
at private family circles overlook the older mem-
bers of the household and play with the children.
Those innocent pastimes were not only a source of
pleasure to the little ones, but moments of intense
delight to the good Archbishop himself.

To an affectionate disposition he united a touch-
ing simplicity of manners, an alertness of soul
which won all hearts. Although he had travelled
extensively abroad, had seen much of the world,
and had mingled a great deal in high society, this
artlessness and naturalness of manner never aban-
doned him. It was exhibited in his dress, in his
speech. It appeared before the rich, as well as the
poor. Even when his Grace entertained Cardinals
in Eome; or when he was received by the Holy
Father himself, he never made any effort at stud-
ied formality, but was always the same plain, out-
spoken Martin John Spalding.

This living faith, this paternal love, was the
secret fire nourishing that burning zeal which
consumed the heart of the great Archbishop. The
activity of his life was unceasing. Though he had a

228 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

secretary, lie usually discharged himself the duties
of that office. He was in daily correspondence
with Kome and with European Prelates ; with the
Bishops of the United States, and with his own
clergy. "Works of varied erudition were issuing,
at regular intervals, from his ready pen. Like his
great Prototype, St. Paul, ^'he had a solicitude for
all the churches.'' He took a lively interest in the
affairs of distant dioceses and was always ready
to give a helping hand to a suffering brother
Bishop.

His labors in behalf of his own diocese were
prodigious. When he came to Baltimore, the zeal
of his illustrious predecessors seemed to have left
little for him to do. But we beheld him constantly
employed in opening new fields of labor. He
erected several churches ; established Communities
of men and women; built parochial schools, the
last being the Metropolitan School in the Cathe-
dral Parish. He introduced into his diocese Eng-
lish Missionaries to minister to the colored popula-
tion. His crowning work was the erection of the
Industrial School for Boys, in which great under-
taking he was substantially aided by the vener-
able Pastor of St. Peter's.* The Archbishop took
a special pride in this Institution, remarking that
the only reward he hoped for was to have the boys
of the Protectory assist at his funeral and pray

* Rt. Rev. Mgr. McColgan.

ARCHBISHOP SPALDING 229

for his soul. Truly can we say of him : "Consum-
matus in hrevi, expievit tempora multa/' Like
Pope Sixtus V, he compressed within the space of
^ve or six years the work of a quarter of a cen-
tury.

When we consider the great works accom-
plished in this archdiocese in six years, we know
not which to admire most, — the liberality of the
people; the active zeal of the clergy; or the judi-
cious government of your spiritual Chief. To the
faithful all praise is to be accorded, because they
always responded to the calls of religion. You,
Eeverend Clergy of this diocese, are above all
praise. But while we recognize the merits of the
soldiers and their captains, what credit is due to
your leader, whose eagle eye overlooked the field,
and whose comprehensive mind directed the work?
He infused fresh energy into all your undertak-
ings, and assisted you to bear your burden. Oh!
it was an honor to fight under such a general. It
was a pleasure to labor under such a master.

Catholics of Baltimore, God has blessed you
with a noble line of Prelates, who would favorably
compare with the hierarchy of any See in Chris-
tendom. The names of the seven Archbishops of
Baltimore — Carroll, Neale, Marechal, Whitfield,
Eccleston, Kenrick, Spalding — shine forth as stars
of the first magnitude in the grand Constellation
:of Deceased American Prelates. They will ever

230 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

serve as shining lights, guiding by their example,
those that arc to come after them in the path of
virtue and apostolic wisdom. The last two have
been endeared to me by special ties of gratitude.
By the former I was ordained to the priesthood,
and I was consecrated Bishop at the hands of the
latter. Those two Prelates are familiar to most
of you. And we cannot think of the great Spalding
without being reminded of the good Kenrick. Each
of them had his distinguished traits of character.
If I would venture to institute a comparison be-
tween the two Baltimore Archbishops and some
prototypes of the early Church, I think that Am-
brose and Augustine exhibited certain traits which
were found also in Kenrick and Spalding.

St. Augustine in his Confessions gives us a
charming picture of the studious and prayerful
habits and the accessibility of the Bishop of Milan,
which find a counterpart in the domestic life of
Kenrick during his administration of the diocese
of Baltimore. His leisure hours were usually
spent in the perusal of the Sacred Scriptures and
the writings of the Fathers with which he was so
familiar. His door, like that of Ambrose, was
usually ajar, and no matter who called, whether
the cultured layman or Prelate, the peasant or the
child, they were all received with kindness and
affability, and the Archbishop had the happy fac-
ulty of adapting himself to the intellectual stand-

AECHBISHOP SPALDING 231

ard of each one. As soon as the visitor departed,
he quietly resumed his studies, as if no interrup-
tion had occurred.

While Archbishop Spalding laid no claim to the
lofty genius of Augustine, he emulated the Bishop
of Hippo in his indomitable zeal for God's Church,
in vindicating the truths of the Catholic religion,
and in confronting the errors of the day.

We stand amazed and are filled with awe when
we contemplate the dozen of folio volumes of the
African Bishop, burdened as he was with the
administration of his diocese. We are also sur-
prised and edified (of course in a less degree) that
the American Prelate could have spared the time
to write '* Evidences of Catholicity," ^'The Life of
Bishop Flaget," ^'The History of the Protestant
Eef ormation, " and his ^'Miscellanea," notwith-
standing the physical infirmities which he endured
for many years.

I may add, moreover, that the friendship which
subsisted between Ambrose and Augustine, also
marked the relations between Archbishops Spald-
ing and Kenrick during their episcopal career.

Kenrick reminds us of the Prince of the Apos-
tles, holding the keys of authority. His decisions
were received not only with reverence at home, but
with honor abroad.

Spalding is like the Apostle of the Gentiles,
wielding the two-edged sword of the spirit, the

232 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

STivord of the tongue and of the pen. ^^His sound
hath gone forth into all the earth, and his words
unto the ends of the world.''

It is sad to think that we shall never look upon
his face again. But I would not have you without
hope, my Brethren. That great soul of his yet
*4ives and moves and has its being.'' That kind
heart breathes love for you still. Having loved
you in life, he loves you in death. Could the veil
be uplifted, we might see him praying for his
beloved Baltimore, as Judas Maccabeus saw Jere-
miah after death praying for his beloved Jerusa-
lem.

He says to our hearts today: *'I will not
leave you orphans. You have now sorrow, but I
shall see you again. And your heart shall rejoice.
God will send you another comforter, another
father, ' ' O, obtain this favor for us through your
intercession from the divine Shepherd of Souls.
Obtain for the people a worthy successor. We ask
for none better than thyself. Solicit for them one
according to thine own model. Beseech for them a
Shepherd like thyself, who will lead his flock to
wholesome pastures. Obtain for them a leader such
as thou wert, who will march before thy people,
conquering and to conquer. Give them a Judge
that like thee will always temper justice with
mercy. Give them a Father as thou wert, who will

ARCHBISHOP SPALDING 333

welcome his clergy and people with paternal kind-
ness.

Then having sown in tears, thy people will reap
in joy. Then this widowed church will cast off
her weeds of mourning, and be again clothed in
garments of gladness. Then we shall see and
love and reverence thee in thy successor. Then
we will say: *^Our father who was lost is found.
Having been dead he is come to life again I''

THE FUNERAL

OF

GENERAL SHERIDAN

SERMON PREACHED IN ST. MATTHEW'S

CHURCH, WASHINGTON, D. C, AT

THE FUNERAL OF GENERAL

SHERIDAN, AUGUST. 1 888.

And Jonathan and Simon took Judas their brother, and
buried him In the sepulchre of their fathers, in the city of
Modin. And all the people of Israel bewailed him with great
lamentation; and they mourned for him many days, and said:
How Is the mighty fallen that saved the people of Israel.
I Mach. ix, 19, 21.

Mr. President :* Dearly Beloved Brethren :

WELL might tlie children of Israel bewail
their great Captain who had led them so
often to battle and to victory. And well
might this nation grieve for the loss of the mighty
chieftain whose mortal remains now lie before us.
In every city and town and village of the country
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, his name is uttered
with sorrow and his great deeds recorded with
admiration.

There is one consoling feature that distinguishes
the obsequies of our illustrious hero from those of

* President Cleveland attended the funeral obsequies.

234

GENERAL SHERIDAN 235

the great Hebrew leader. He was buried in the
midst of war, amid the clashing of arms and
surrounded by the armed hosts of the enemy:
our Captain, thank God, is buried amid profound
peace, while we are enjoying the blessings of
domestic tranquility and are in friendship with
all the world.

The death of General Sheridan will be lamented
not only by the North but also by the South. I
know the Southern people, I know their chivalry.
I know their magnanimity, their warm and affec-
tionate nature ; and I am sure that the sons of the
Southland, especially those who fought in the late
war, will join in the national lamentation and will
lay a garland of mourning on the bier of the great
Leader. They recognize the fact that the nation's
General is dead and that his death is the nation's
loss.

And this universal sympathy coming from all
sections of the country, irrespective of party lines
is easily accounted for when we consider that under
an overruling Providence, the war has resulted in
increased blessings to every state of our common
country.

"There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will."

And this is true of nations as well as of indi-
viduals.

236 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

"What constitutes the great difference between
the wars of antiquity and our recent civil conflict?
The wars of olden time were followed by subjuga-
tion and bondage : in the train of our great strug-
gles came reconciliation and freedom. Alexander
the Great waded through the blood of his fel-
low man. By the sword he conquered and by
the sword he kept the vanquished in bondage.
Scarcely was he cold in death when his vassals
shook off the yoke and his empire was dismem-
bered into fragments.

The effect of the late war has been to weld to-
gether the nation still more closely into one cohes-
ive body, it has removed once for all slavery, the
great apple of discord, it has broken down the
wall of separation which divided section from sec-
tion and exhibits us more strikingly as one nation,
one family, with the same aims and the same aspir-
ations.

As an evidence that the scars of the Civil War
have been completely healed, and that a bright era
of fraternity and good will has succeeded the dark
days of internecine strife, we behold monuments
erected to conquered generals in different parts of
the country; and soldiers who had fought under the
Confederate and Union flags, are peacefully as-
sembled together in the Halls of Federal and State
legislation, framing laws for the welfare of a re-
united country.

GENERAL SHERIDAN 237

In surveying the life of General Sheridan, it
seems to me that these were the prominent fea-
tures and the salient points in his character — •
undaunted heroism combined with gentleness of
disposition; strong as a lion in war, gentle as a
child in peace; bold, daring, fearless, undismayed,
unhesitating, his courage rising with danger, ever
fertile in resources, ever prompt in execution, his
rapid movements never impelled by a blind im-
pulse, but ever prompted by a calculating mind.

I have neither the time nor the ability to dwell
upon his military career from the time he left
West Point till the close of the war.

Sheridan was a soldier of indomitable courage.
He had no sense of fear, or if he had, he never
betrayed it. Like Napoleon, he also exercised a
magnetic influence over his men. He inspired them
with the intrepidity which ruled in his own breast.
Under his command they had no thought of defeat.
The absolute confidence which his soldiers under
him had in General Sheridan, and the courage
which his presence inspired, are strikingly illus-
trated in the battle near Cedar Creek in the valley
of Virginia, during the Civil "War. While Sheri-
dan was briefly absent in Washington, the Union
soldiers were attacked and routed by the Confed-
erate troops. General Sheridan, learning of the
discomfiture of his forces, rides with all speed
from Winchester till he meets and rallies his re-

238 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

treating army. By the glance of his eye, by the
strength of his will, by the magic of his word, he
forces back that living stream on the enemy and
snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. This
one incident reveals to us his qniclaiess of concep-
tion and readiness of execution.

General Grant had an unbounded admiration
for the military genius of Sheridan and always
felt a sense of confidence and security when his
favorite executive officer was fighting under him.
In fact, though General Grant was singularly cau-
tious and reserved in speech, and sparing of praise,
he did not hesitate to pronounce Sheridan one of
the greatest generals of his day.

How bold in war, how gentle in peace ! On some
few occasions in "Washington I had the pleasure
of meeting General Sheridan socially in private
circles. I was forcibly struck by his gentle dis-
position, his amiable manner, his unassuming de-
portment, his eye beaming with good nature and
his voice scarcely raised above a whisper. I said
to myself : Is this bashful man and retiring citizen
the great Captain of the American Army? Is this
the hero of so many battles?

It is true General Sheridan has been charged
with being sometimes unnecessarily severe to-
wards the enemy. My conversations with him
strongly impressed me with the groundlessness of
a charge, which could in no wise be reconciled with

GENERAL SHERIDAN 239

the abhorence which he expressed for the atrocities
of war, with his natural aversion to bloodshed and
with the hope he uttered that he would never again
be obliged to draw his sword against an enemy. I
am persuaded that the sentiments of humanity
ever found a congenial home, a secure lodgment
in the breast of General Sheridan. Those who are
best acquainted with his military career, unite in
saying that he never needlessly sacrificed human
life, and that he loved and cared for his soldiers
as a father loves and cares for his children.

But we must not forget that if the departed hero
was a soldier, he was also a citizen ; and if we wish
to know how a man stands as a citizen, we must
ask ourselves how he stands as a son, a husband
and father. The parent is the source of the family,
the family is the source of the nation. Social life
is the reflex of family life. The stream does not
rise above its source. Those who were admitted
into the inner circle of General Sheridan's home,
need not be told that it was a peaceful and happy
one. He was a fond husband and an affectionate
father, lovingly devoted to his wife and children. I
hope I am not trespassing upon the sacred privacy
of domestic life, when I state that the GeneraVs
sickness was accelerated, if not aggravated, by a
fatiguing journey, which he made in order to be
home in time to assist at a religious domestic cele-

240 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

bration in wliicli one of his children was the central
figure.

Above all, General Sheridan was a Christian.
He died fortified by the consolations of religion,
having his trust in the saving mercies of our Ee-
deemer and an humble hope in a blessed immor-
tality.

What is life without the hope of immortality!
What is life that is bounded by the horizon of the
tomb? Surely it is not worth living. What is the
life even of the antediluvian patriarchs but like
the mist which is dispelled by the morning sun?
What would it profit this illustrious hero to go
down to his honored grave covered with earthly
glory, if he had no hope in the eternal glory to
come? It is the hope of eternal life that consti-
tutes at once our dignity and our moral responsi-
bility.

God has planted in the human breast an irresist-
ible desire for immortality. It is born with us and
lives and moves with us. It inspires our best and
holiest actions. Now God would not have given us
this desire if He did not intend that it should be
fully satisfied. He would not have given us this
thirst for infinite happiness if he had not intended
to assuage it. He never created anything in vain.
Thanks to God, this universal yearning of the
human heart is sanctioned and vindicated by the
voice of revelation.

GENERAL SIIEEIDAN 241

The inspired word of God not only proclaims the
immortality of the soul, but also the future resur-
rection of the body: ''I know/' says the Prophet
Job, ''that my Eedeemer liveth, and that on the
last day I shall rise out of the earth and in my
flesh I shall see my God. '' '' Wonder not at this, ' '
says our Saviour, ''for the hour cometh when all
that are in their graves shall hear the voice of
the Son of Man, and they who have done well, shall
come forth to the resurrection of life, and they
who have done ill, to the resurrection of judg-
ment. ' '

And the Apostle writes these comforting words
to the Thessalonians : "I would not have you
ignorant, brethren, concerning those that are
asleep, that ye be not sorrowful even as others who
have no hope; for if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so those who have died in
Jesus, God will raise unto himself. Therefore
comfort yourselves with these words.'' These are
the words of comfort I would address to you,
Madam, the faithful consort of the illustrious dead.
This is the olive branch of peace and hope I would
bring you today. This is the silver lining of the
cloud which hangs over you. We followed you in
spirit and with sympathizing hearts as you knelt
in prayer at the bed of your dying husband. May
the God of all consolation comfort you in this hour

242 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

of sorrow, and may it be your daily solace to
pray for the repose of his immortal soul.

Comrades and companions of the illustrious
dead, take hence your great leader, bear him to his
last resting place, carry him gently, lovingly ; and
though you may not hope to attain his exalted
rank, you will strive at least to emulate him by
the integrity of your private life, by your devotion
to your country and by upholding the honor of
your military profession.

But as you lay his body to rest do not forget
also to breathe a prayer to Almighty God that the
soul of this great military leader may be this day
in peace and his abode in Sion ; may his memory
be ever enshrined in the hearts of his country-
men, and may this great country which he loved
and served so well, ever be among the foremost
nations of the earth, the favored land of constitu-
tional freedom, strong in the loyalty of its patriot
citizens, and in the genius and valor of its soldiers
till time shall be no more.

ADDRESS AT THE OBSEQUIES
OF MICHAEL JENKINS

ADDRESS AT THE OBSEQUIES OF MICHAEL

JENKINS IN THE CATHEDRAL.

SEPTEMBER 11, 1915.

IT would have been a labor of love to me to
preach at the funeral obsequies of my be-
loved friend, but I am so overwhelmed by
grief that I feel incapable of pronouncing a
formal discourse, a duty which I have requested
the Bishop of Wheeling to perform. I cannot,
however, deny myself the melancholy duty of lay-
ing at his bier the tribute of my affection and of
a friendship which has lasted for nearly fifty
years.

Michael Jenkins has been universally acknowl-
edged as the leading citizen of Baltimore. Walk-
ing in the footsteps of his honored father, the
public and official life of Michael Jenkins was
marked by a high sense of justice and commercial
honor and integrity. If any business came before
him in which he was concerned, he would never
consider what was beneficial to his own interests,
but he would ask what were the principles of jus-
tice involved. A gentleman was once asked who

243

244 A RETROSPECT OF EIETY YEARS

is considered the highest type of commercial in-
tegrity in Baltimore. The prompt answer was:
*' Michael Jenkins. We regard him as the ideal
business man, without any disparagement of the
other citizens who are conspicuous for their com-
mercial honor."

The office of treasurer was gracefully accepted
by Mr. Jenkins at a critical period of the Catholic
University's history, and the prestige of his name
contributed not a little to strengthen public con-
fidence in the healthy financial stability of that
cherished Institution.

He was conspicuous for his civic virtues. He
always took an interest in the welfare and improve-
ment of his native city. But he helped without
ostentation. He was fond of contributing with the
toin de plume of Friend. When it was a question of
obtaining a new site for the Maryland Institute,
the late Mayor Latrobe and the other Trustees of
that institution, after searching the city, could find
no place so suitable for the new building as the
block in which Corpus Christi church is situated
on Mt. Eoyal Avenue. His desire was that the
church alone should occupy the block. He first
refused to sell, but after various importunities he
made the city a donation of the site on the sole
condition that the new edifice should be so con-
structed as not to obscure the view of the Jenkins
Memorial Church.

MICHAEL JENKINS 245

The public and private charities of our friend
were unbounded and incessant, but like his Maste<r
he dispensed his benefactions without ostentation.
He tried not to let his left hand know what his
right hand did. But his good works, like those of
Christ, could not be concealed. It is related of our
Saviour that a deaf and dumb man was brought
to Him. He restored the man's hearing and speech
by touching his ears and tongue, and He charged
the multitude that they should not publish the
miracle, **but the more He charged them, so much
the more a great deal did they publish it, and so
much the more did they wonder, saying: He hath
done all things well. He hath made both the deaf
to hear and the dumb to speak. ''

If the Master's benefactions could not be con-
cealed neither could those of His disciple. His
reputation for generosity was widespread, and
hence appeals were made to him from all quarters,
without distinction of race or religion. His desk
at the office of the Safe Deposit and Trust Com-
pany, of which he was President, was stacked with
petitions for relief. He used to speak of the sub-
ject without petulance or annoyance, in a good-
humored way, and aided those whom he found
deserving of assistance.

During the summer before making his usual trip
to Vermont, Mr. Jenkins sent me a check for the
Holy Father to enable His Holiness to assist the

246 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

sufferers from the war. This week an acknowl-
edgment came from Eome, in which the Pope sent
Ms blessing to the benefactor. A few hours before
his death I mailed him the letter which never fell
into his hands. Mr. Jenkins regarded himself as
not the absolute owner but the steward of the
wealth which Providence had placed in his hands,
he felt the force of the axiom that our greatest
earthly happiness is found in bringing happiness
to others.

His domestic life was most attractive and edify-
ing. He was very much attached to all the mem-
bers of his family and particularly to his surviving
sister, to whom we offer our profound sympathy.

His love for his deceased wife was most tender
and unremitting. He used to say that she always
appeared before him in a triple character. She
was his wife, his sweetheart and his companion.
Their whole married life was a continuous honey-
moon. When she died a few years ago, I happened
to be in New Orleans and I hastened home to be in
time for her funeral. I am persuaded that her de-
mise brought a shock to him from which he never
rallied. So deep was his affection for her that he
could never be persuaded to re-enter the city house
in which she died, or the country residence where
they spent the summer.

Almost every day of his life, he visited her tomb
in the Jenkins Memorial Church, erected by the

MICHAEL JENKINS 247

munificence of his family, where his remains will
also repose — and he laid there a fresh wreath of
fragrant flowers, and there also the incense of his
prayers in her behalf ascended to the throne of the
Almighty.

The death of Mr. Jenkins is a personal loss to
myself which cannot be fathomed. His departure
has left a void in my heart which time cannot All.
It is only the vital and consoling influence of relig-
ion that can reconcile me to my bereavement. He
was my constant friend and benefactor. He even
anticipated my wishes in lightening my burden.

On the death of the Emperor Theodosius, St.
Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, preached his funeral
sermon, where the following touching words are
found: ^'Give perfect rest to Thy servant Theo-
dosius, that rest which thou hast prepared for Thy
Saints. May his Soul return to Thee whence it
descended, where it cannot feel the sting of death.
I loved him, and therefore will I follow him even
unto the land of the living. Nor will I leave him
until by prayers and tears he shall be led unto the
holy mountain of the Lord, where is life undying,
where corruption is not, nor sighing nor mourn-
ing. ' '

0 beloved and cherished Friend, Thou wast a
prince among merchants. Thou wast an uncrowned
emperor among God^s noblemen. I loved thee as
dearly as Ambrose loved Theodosius, and like that

248 A EETKOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

Pontiff, I will register a vow tliat during the brief
span of life tliat remains to me on earth, I will
never ascend the Altar without offering up the
prayer that the God of Mercy may speedily call
thee to Himself and make thee a partaker of His
everlasting bliss in that happy country where death
shall be no more, but never ending joy and peace
and rest.

WHAT IS A SAINT?

WHAT IS A SAINT?

PREACHED IN BALTIMORE CATHEDRAL,

NOVEMBER 5, 1899.

Apocalypse vll, 1-17.

I BELIEVE that a great many well-disposed
Christians shrink from aspiring to holiness
because they do not grasp the idea as to the
essential conditions of sanctity.

I will tell you this morning, first, what a saint is
not, and then what constitutes a saint.

There are some who imagine that a saint is one
of whom we read in ancient history and who be-
longs to an almost extinct species, some ante-de-
luvian who flourished like the giants of former
ages, or King Arthur's Knights of the Round
Table, but whose race is well-nigh run out, and
whose place is now rarely found on earth.

Now thank God, the generation of Saints is not
extinct. They exist in our day. They are to be
found in this city and under our own eyes. They
are in every congregation of Baltimore. They
sanctify their homes by the integrity of their char-

249

250 A RETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

acter and by their domestic virtues. *^ Their lives
are hidden with Christ in God. ' ^

And these noble spirits are as unconscious of
their increase in holiness, as they are of their
physical growth ; this is all the better for them. It
is only when they begin to view themselves with
complacency, and to have an exalted opinion of
themselves that they take a step backward, and
are in danger of imitating the Pharisee who
boasted that he '>was not like the rest of men.'*

There are others who fancy that to be a Saint
one must wear the cowl of a monk, or the habit
of a nun, or the surplice and cassock of a priest.
But this would be taking a very narrow view of
the scheme of redemption. The Gospel says that
,God wishes all men to be saved, and to come to
the knowledge of the truth."

Now we know that there can be no salvation
without sanctification. The words of Scripture:
**Be ye holy, for I the Lord your God am holy*'
were addressed to priests and laymen alike in the
Old Law. They certainly apply with equal force
to all who live under the New Dispensation. A
few chosen souls are called to the religious and
apostolic life. But thank God, Saints innumerable
are found among the laity who wear no special
badge. Their only distinctive garb is the invisible
white robe of innocence, or the red robe of

WHAT IS A SAINT? 251

charity, or the purple robe of mortification, who,
like Paul, ''die daily'' to themselves.

There are others again who entertain the notion
that to be Saints, persons must spend half their
time in prayer, the other half in corporal morti-
fication. This mode of life would suit very well a
holy anchoret, or women like the devout Anna
who ''departed not from the temple, but by fast-
ings and prayers, worshipped night and day.'*

But it would not befit the bulk of Christians
whose daily life is devoted to secular and do-
mestic pursuits, for these duties cannot be omitted
without violating conscience and deranging the
good order of society or of the family.

A man who would spend in church the time
which should be consecrated to his business affairs,
would be apt to bring religious exercises into dis-
repute by performing them out of due season. It
is true indeed that Mary who was given to con-
templation is praised by the Master for "having
chosen the better part,'' but it is equally true that
her sister Martha who was occupied in household
affairs, had a share in the esteem and benefaction
of our Lord.

There are others who picture to themselves a
saint as an individual of a sad or gloomy dispo-
sition, of a melancholy and dejected aspect like
the knight of the sorrowful figure. Our Saviour
gives us a different view of a servant of God. He

252 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

tells us tliat even in our penitential acts, we
should maintain a cheerful demeanor. *'A¥hen
ye fast,'' He says, '^be not like the hypocrites sad,
for they disfigure their faces that they may appear
to men to fast. But thou, when thou fastest, an-
noint thy head, and wash thy face, that thou appear
not to men to fast but to thy Father who is in
secret, and thv Father who seeth in secret will
repay thee."

The Saints are conspicuous for habitual cheer-
fulness, because they have an upright conscience,
and cheerfulness is the fruition of a good con-
science, or of a soul at peace with God and men.

Look at the youth and maiden who have pre-
served their baptismal innocence. The joy and
candor that beam on their countenances, are the
outward expression of God's interior sunshine
irradiating their souls.

"What then is a Saint? A Saint is one who keeps
the commandments of God and the precepts of the
Church, and discharges with fidelity the duties of
his state of life.

Another characteristic of a Saint is that he bears
with Christian fortitude and patience the trials
of life, whether imposed on him by the inscrutable
visitations of Providence, or inflicted bv the malice
of man, or resulting from the infirmities of his
nature. Should he be so unfortunate as to stumble
and fall in the spiritual combat (for ©von the

WHAT IS A SAINT? ^53

Saints on eartli are not exempt from human
frailty), he will promptly rise again, and will
cleanse himself from the moral stains he has con-
tracted, and will renew the conflict with redoubled
energy.

Now it is in the power of every Christian, aided
by Divine Grace, to observe the ordinances of God
and of the Church ; to comply with the obligations
incident to his situation in the world ; to carry with
resignation the cross laid upon him by his Heav-
enly Father, and to wage an incessant warfare
against his passions and vicious inclinations.

St. Bernard, after embracing the monastic state,
was accustomed to stimulate his fervor by asking
himself this question: *^ Bernard, why camest
thou hither ?''

We should also ask ourselves this first question
of the Catechism: ^'Why wert thou created! Why
art thou in this world? T\naat is thy mission in
life? And the answer is, God created me that I
might know Him and love Him, and serve Him
in this world, and be happy with Him forever
in the next. In other words, God created me that
I might sanctify myself; for, if I know God, and
love and serve Him, I will be a saint indeed.
^^This is eternal life,'' says our Saviour, *^that
we know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
Whom Thou hast sent.'' **Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom," says Jeremiah, '^and let

254. A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

not the strong man glory in his strength, and
let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let
him that glorieth glory in this that he nnder-
standeth and knoweth Me.''

Let me suppose that you have succeeded in
amassing Tvealth, till you have become as rich as
Croesus of old, or as Eockefeller of our day. Let
all your affairs prosper. Let every enterprise
you engage in, become a mine of gold. Let me
suppose that you attain the highest honors which
this world can bestow; that you are more feared
than Alexander; more honored than Caesar; more
admired than "Washington.

Let me suppose that you revel in pleasures and
delights ; that your life is one continuous round of
sunshine without a single cloud to darken the
horizon ; that your pathway is strewn with flowers :
Yet if you fail in the one thing necessary of attain-
ing a life of godliness, you have missed your voca-
tion; you have frustrated the end for which God
had created you, and you are in His sight, *'poor
and miserable and blind and naked." You would
be like a splendid vessel which sailed on the ocean
with prosperous winds till on approaching the
harbor, it foundered, and its precious cargo was
sunk in the depth of the sea. Alas! what will it
profit us to have steered our course majestically
and with flying colors through the ocean of life,
if we bring to the harbor of eternity nothing but

WHAT IS A SAINT? 255

a soul shipwrecked by sin. ''What will it profit
a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own
soul, or what will a man give in exchange for his
souir'

Let me suppose on the other hand, that you are
what the world calls ill-starred and unfortunate,
that all your commercial or professional enter-
prises resulted in lamentable failures. Let me
admit that while others are crowned with honor,
you are treated with indifference or covered with
confusion and contempt. Let me admit that you
rarely, if ever, taste the cup of pleasure, that your
domestic life is blighted with sickness or death.
In a word, that you are a genuine disciple of Job ;
and yet, if you fulfil the sublime destiny for which
you were created, by pursuing a life of "holiness
without which no man can see the Lord," you are
in the sight of God, and in the light of faith, a suc-
cessful and happy man.

Why did Jesus Christ descend from heaven to
earth? Why did He clothe Himself with our hu-
manity and our infirmities ? ' ' For us men, ' ' says
the Nicene Creed, ''and for our salvation, He de-
scended from heaven and became man. ' ' Why did
He establish His Church which is ramified through-
out the globe? Why are bishops consecrated,
priests ordained and missionaries sent to the most
remote regions of the earth? Why are temples of
worship erected? Why is the adorable Sacrifice

256 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

of the Altar offered up from the rising to the
setting of the sun? AYhy are the sacraments ad-
ministered, and why are you here today? All
these works are undertaken expressly for your
sanctification. Hear the Apostle: ^'God," he
says, ''gave some indeed Apostles, and some
Prophets and some Evangelists, and others pas-
tors and teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the building up of
the Body of Christ, until we all meet in the unity
of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to a perfect man, to the measure of the age of the
fulness of Christ."

No matter what may be the social distinctions
existing between you, all of you whether rich or
poor, learned or unlearned, possess in common,
the one glorious title of Christian. That is a name
you would not exchange for all the high-sounding
titles of kings and emperors. You glory in that
appellation and are justly proud of it.

But the title of Christian is not an empty sound,
but is full of solemn significance. It has annexed
to it corresponding obligations. For, what is a
Christian? A Christian, as the very name implies,
is a disciple or follower of Christ. A Christian is
one who keeps before his mental vision, his Divine
Saviour that he may endeavor to reproduce in
himself the virtues of his heavenly Model. A
Christian is one who walks in the footprints of his

i WHAT IS A SAINT? 257

blessed Eedeemer. In a word, a Christian is an-
other Christ.

Would it not be a gross inconsistency, and a con-
tradiction in terms to have nothing in common
with our Master except the name? Every disciple
aims at imitating his teacher or master. Even the
Mohammedan boasts of being faithful to the prin-
ciples of the false prophet. The Hebrew glories
in observing the precepts of Moses ; and it should
be our constant endeavor to fulfil the maxims of
our Lawgiver, Jesus Christ.

This is also the meaning which St. Paul attaches
to the name of Christian. In his letters to the faith-
ful of his time, he commonly calls them by the
name of saints, indicating that he regarded Chris-
tians and saints as synonomous terms.

But perhaps you will say to me : If I pursue a
life of christian righteousness, I am liable to be
left behind in the race for temporal prosperity.
I will be handicapped by the very virtues which I
practise, because I must carry them with me in
my public as well as in my private life. I am bound
to be truthful and honest in my dealings with
others. I can take no undue advantage of my
neighbor. My conscience will be always on guard
at the door of my heart, warning me not to lay
hands on ill-gotten wealth.

My neighbor, on the contrary, has thrown
christian principles to the winds. He is a de-

258 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

ceiver and a trickster. He is dishonest in his deal-
ings. He has no scruples about over-reaching his
business competitors. The only god he worships
is Mammon. The only gospel he swears by is the
gospel of self. His aim in life is to make money
by fair means or foul I He cares not which. He
stoops to methods in his medical or legal or com-
mercial relations which I spurn and abhor. He
is sure therefore to get the upper hand of me and
to outrun me in the race for financial success:
**For the children of this world are wiser in their
generation than the children of light."

Let me grant all this for the sake of argument.
What then? Are you not vastly the gainer in the
long run? Put into one scale your neighbor's cun-
ning and duplicity, his fraud and injustice, his
wealth and pleasure, his bad conscience with his
despair of future reward.'' ''For, amen, I say to
you, he has already received his reward." Like
Esau he has sold his heavenly birth-right for a
mass of earthly pottage.

Put into the other scale your truth and honesty,
your sense of justice and honor with its temporal
drawbacks. Put into it your unsullied conscience,
your cheerful spirits and your hope of eternal
recompense.

Is not your condition infinitely better than his?
Hear the words of St. Paul. The Apostle enu-
merates the prerogatives and advantages he had

WHAT IS A SAINT? 259

enjoyed as a Jew before his conversion to Chris-
tianity. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, of the
tribe of Benjamin. He was a conspicuous figure in
the ranks of the Jewish hierarchy. But he con-
sidered all these gains as nothing compared with
the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. Nay
every other privilege, such as wealth and station,
power and honor, learning and eloquence, all these
he regarded as dross in comparison with the in-
exhaustible treasures he found in christian holi-
ness.

And this is also the judgment of the Holy Ghost
speaking in the Book of Wisdom: '*I called upon
God and the Spirit of wisdom (or sanctity) came
upon me. And I preferred her before kingdoms
and thrones, and esteemed riches as nothing in
comparison of her : for, all gold in comparison of
her is a little sand, and silver in respect to her, is
counted as clay.'*

But I emphatically deny that the pursuit of
righteousness is a bar or hindrance to temporal
prosperity. Without searching for examples else-
where, cast your eyes about you in this city, and
you will find a host of men who have been emi-
nently successful in every department of profes-
sional and commercial life, without stooping to
base or ignoble methods. And while they have
acquired fortunes, they enjoy the esteem and con-
fidence of their fellow-citizens; they preserve a

\

260 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

pure and upright conscience, and are comforted
by the blessed hope of eternal life.

In confirmation of this sense, we may use the
words of the Apostle who says that ** piety is
profitable for all things, having the promise of the
life that now is, and of that which is to come.''
And our Lord Himself seems to verify what I have
said, in these words : * ' Seek first the kingdom of
God and His justice, and all things else shall be
added unto you.''

On this day when we are commemorating the
Festival of All Saints, cast your eyes in spirit
heavenward, and contemplate that *' cloud of wit-
nesses over your head," inviting you to follow
their footsteps, and share in their reward. You
will see there men and women of every rank and
condition of life who have preserved their gar-
ments undefiled, who ''have fought the good fight,
have finished their course and kept the faith."

*'I saw," says St. John, ''a great multitude
which no man could number, of all nations, and
tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before
the throne, and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and palms in their hands. . . .
And they cried with a loud voice : saying, salvation
to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and to the
Lamb. . . . They shall no more hunger nor
thirst, neither shall the sun fall upon them, nor
any heat. For the Lamb that is in the midst of

WHAT IS A SAINT? 261

the throne, shall rule them, and shall lead them to
the fountains of the waters of life : and God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes."

^^And the city hath no need of the sun nor of the
moon to shine in it, for the glory of the Lord hath
enlightened it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.'*
(Apoe. vii, xxi.)

"No sun, no moon in borrowed light
Rerolves thine hours away:

The Lamb on Calvary's mountain slain.
Is thine eternal day."

SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC JOYS

OF HEAVEN

SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC JOYS OF HEAVEN.

"In My Father's house there are many mansions: I go to
prepare a place for you." — John xiv, 2-3.

I.

THE future abode of the Saints is very fre-
quently called in Holy Scripture the King-
dom of Heaven : * ^ I say unto you that many
shall come from the East and from the West, and
shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
in the Kingdom of Heaven. '* *^I dispose to you
as My Father hath disposed to Me, a kingdom,
that ye may eat and drink at My table in My king-
dom, and may sit upon thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel." **Fear not, little flock, for it
hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom.''
The name of kingdom is given to the habitation of
the blessed, because they shall all reign under the
supreme dominion of the King of kings. They
shall all be governed by the same holy and
equitable laws, and above all, because they shall
dwell together in that happy and social intercourse
such as we can conceive of the people of a king-

263

LIFE IN HEAVEN 2G3

dom enjoying the blessings of the most perfect
social and domestic tranquility.

But the idea of a kingdom is not sufficient to rep-
resent to us the intimate relations that will subsist
among the Saints in heaven. For many subjects
of the same kingdom spend their whole lives with-
out ever becoming acquainted with one another.

The habitation of the elect is therefore depicted
to us in the second place as the City of God. **I
saw, says St. John, ^'the Holy City, the New Jerus-
alem coming down out of heaven from God, pre-
pared as a bride adorned for her husband." This
emblem marks more forcibly the close fellowship
subsisting between the Saints ; for, the citizens of
the same city meet one another more frequently
than the inhabitants of the same kingdom.

But even the term city fails to give an adequate
idea of the familiar intercourse and loving friend-
ship which will bind the blessed together, for many
persons may dwell even in the same city without
enjoying social intercourse with each other.

In order then to give us the best possible notion
of the intimate relations of the Saints, the third
name that is given to their future dwelling place
is the House of God. *'In my Father's house,"
says our Lord, *Hhere are many mansions. . . .
I go to prepare a place for you." **We know,"
says St. Paul, ^4f our earthly house of this habita-
tion be dissolved that we have a building of God,

264 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

a house not made witli hands, eternal in heaven."
The whole court of Heaven is represented as one
family. God Himself is the Father of the house-
hold; the guests are His children reclining to-
gether in domestic concord at the divine banquet,
* inebriated with the plenty of God's house and
filled with the torrent of delights.''

From this picture of heaven we see at once that
the saints will not live in a state of isolation or
seclusion ; they will not dwell apart, standing like
statues on a pedestal; they will not be in a condi-
tion of mental abstraction, so absorbed in the
contemplation of God as to be unconscious of each
other's presence: they will enjoy on the contrary,
not only the vision of their Creator, but the happy
society also of one another.

When the people were dispersed over the world
after the building of the Tower of Babel, they fell
into idolatry and were confounded by a. variety
of languages. But when the nations shall be
gathered together in the kingdom of Heaven, and
worship the true God, they will communicate in a
language intelligible to all. Like the primitive
Christians described in the Acts of the Apostles,
they will have one heart, one soul, and one tongue.

Man is by nature a social being. God has
planted in his breast an irresistible desire to con-
sort and converse with his fellow-man. And as
Boethius remarks, our happiness is increased when

. LIFE IN HEAVEN 265

we can share it with others. Indeed the most
frightful punishment you can inflict on any one is
to deprive him of all human fellowship, or to con-
demn him to solitary confinement.

Now in heaven the essential characteristics of
our nature are not destroyed but preserved. Grace
will not supplant nature. It will supplement and
perfect it. And therefore man will remain in
heaven as he is now on earth — a social being.

The possession and enjoyment of God will con-
stitute, it is true, the essential happiness of the
elect. But the society of one another will form a
subordinate though important element in the be-
atitude of the saints. The blessed in seeing and
admiring one another, will behold and admire God
Himself Who ' ' is wonderful in His saints. ' ' They
will be clothed with His glory. They will reflect
His beauty and perfection even as the atoms in
the sunbeam reflect the splendor of the sun.

II.

Mutual Eecognition.

We are assured by the Scriptures and the writ-
ings of Fathers that the blessed will recognize one
another in the city of God, no matter how remote
from each other may have been the age in which
they had lived on earth. This knowledge is im-

266 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEAES

parted to them by revelation or by divine illumina-
tion. We gather from various passages of Holy
Writ that the angels are thoroughly conversant
with human affairs : ' ^ When thou didst pray with
tears," says the Angel Eaphsel to Tobias, ''and
didst bury the dead, I offered thy prayers to the
Lord. ' ' He could not present those prayers unless
he had known Tobias, as well as the purport of his
petitions in far off Nineve.

' Our Lord says : ' ' There shall be joy before the
angels of God upon one sinner doing penance.'*
The angels could not rejoice without knowing us
and our deeds and even the thoughts of our heart ;
for repentance is an interior operation of the will.

And St. Paul declares that ''we are a spectacle
to the world, to angels and to men," meaning that
as we are observed by men who surround us, so
are we seen by the angels of God. Now our
Saviour tells us that the saints shall be like the
angels in the life to come, enjoying the same knowl-
edge as well as the same glorious immortality.

And if the blessed can recognize us from afar,
how much more manifestly will they know us when
we shall be associated with them in heaven! If
they can behold us now while we are walking in
the dark valley of the shadow of death, how much
more distinctly shall they view us, when we stand
by them under the effulgent rays of the Sun of
Justice !

LIFE IN HEAVEN 267

And we shall know the saints even as they know
us: '*We see now through a glass darkly,'' says
St. Paul, *'but then face to face now I know in
part, but then I shall know even as I am known.''

From the Parable (or rather I might say the
history) of Dives and Lazarus as recorded in the
Gospel, we see that Abraham was conversant with
the life of Lazarus, though they had lived on earth
hundreds of years apart.

Our Lord predicted to the Apostles that they
would exercise judicial powers, under Him on the
last day: ''Ye shall sit on twelve thrones judging
the twelve tribes of Israel. ' ' This judicial prerog-
ative they could not use with discretion, unless the
conduct of those they will judge will be made
manifest to them.

Imagine the delight which the citizens of heaven
will experience on contemplating the great men of
every age, men truly great because declared to be
such, not by the capricious voice of public opinion,
but by the infallible verdict of God's word. If
persons travel far and wide to get a glimpse of
some illustrious personage ; if a Queen journeyed
from a distant land to behold and converse with
Solomon; if tourists visit London and Paris to
view the wax figures of eminent persons, how
intense will be your delight on beholding the living
palpable features of men and women whose names

268 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

are inscribed on the imperishable pages of the
Book of Life !

You esteem it an honor to be invited to a regal
palace, and admitted to the company of the royal
family, and the retinue of the court. But the dis-
tinction and the pleasure are often more than coun-
terbalanced by the heart-burnings, the wounded
feelings, the stings of jealousy which you carry
home with you in your breast in consequence of
some real or imaginary slight offered by one of
the guests. But in the court of heaven, the pleas-
ures of society are never poisoned by such bitter
sensations. Charity will never be violated. The
greater the dignity of the members of God's house-
hold, the more condescending and gracious will be
their affection.

A great doctor of the Church observed that there
were three objects he .would wish to have beheld on
earth— the City of Eome in the days of its imperial
splendor, Christ walking in the flesh, and Paul
preaching to the people of Athens.

What will be your exultation on beholding the
City of God of which such ' 'glorious things are
said," to contemplate your Creator— the Fountain
of all joys— to enjoy the company of our dear
Saviour and of His Blessed Mother; to behold the
Prophets of Israel with David the Royal Psalmist
whose songs have been the delight of the Jewish
and Christian Church ; to live in the society of the

LIFE m HEAVEN 2G3

Apostles! And if the words of Peter, Paul and
John even when read now in the cold pages of a
book, and at such a distance from the time when
they were written — if they give so much consola-
tion to troubled spirits, how ineffable will be the
delight of conversing familiarly with them, and of
hearing the words of wisdom falling fresh and
warm from their inspired lips !

III.

We Will Know Our Own.

But among the citizens of the celestial mansions,
the saints will especially recognize those who were
bound to them on earth by the ties of flesh and
blood. And the particular affection they will have
for their kindred and relatives will in no wise vio-
late the law of universal charity, just as Christ's
predilection for His Mother, for the Apostles, and
the Baptist did not lessen in the slightest degree
His love for the host of heaven. Charity in the
future blessed life, as in the present life, will have
its graduating scale.

Death shall not erase from your minds the mem-
ory of those with whom you were associated here,
and who shared in your joys and sorrows on earth.

For what is death? It is the separation of the
soul from the body. The body is dissolved. But

270 A EETKOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

the soul does not cease ''to live and move and
have its being." It continues to think, to love and
remember. And if all our natural faculties will be
brought into play in the heavenly kingdom, if our
intelligence and memory will be marvellously
quickened and expanded, how is it possible that
the endearing power of joyful recognition should
be lost? The fabled river of Lethe invented by
Pagan poets, was supposed to drown the memory.
But the waters of life revealed to us by inspired
writers, of which the elect will drink, shall refresh
and preserve in perpetual vigor all the faculties
of the soul.

I ask you. Christian matron, if your fond husband
had left you to cross the seas, and after several
years' absence, had returned home, how eagerly
and joyfully you would know and embrace him.
But if he crossed the sea of life, entered the shores
of eternity, and after his death, you put on the
robes of mourning like the virtuous Judith, and
daily prayed for his soul; if after the lapse of
many years you followed him to the kingdom of
heaven, would you not distinguish him at once
from among a thousand men more readily than
Penelope recognized her spouse Ulysses from a
number of suitors, though he returned to her dis-
guised in the tattered garb of a pilgrim after an
absence of twenty years ?

If the Patriarch Isaac, though his sight was dim

LIFE IN HEAVEN 271

with years, and his life was ebbing away, if he
could distinguish the voice of his beloved son,
Jacob, did he not know his son again when they
met in Abraham's bosom?

And can you think that Jacob did not recognize
his son Joseph when, after death, they met again
in the land of the living? You know how Jacob
lost his favorite boy; how he was carried into
Egypt and sold as a slave ; how his father mourned
him as dead ; how they met again, and how Joseph
seeing his father, **fell upon his neck and embrac-
ing him, wepf Oh! if such was the joy at a
temporary meeting of sire and son in a strange
land, what was their delight at their eternal re-
union in their Father's house!

Can you believe that the mother of the Macha-
bees did not discern in heaven her seven sons
whom she preferred to see slain before her face
rather than renounce the religion of their fathers f
Will God deny this heroic woman and her children
mutual recognition after so sublime a sacrifice!

Lazarus did not fail to know his beloved sisters
and his divine Friend Jesus after rising from the
tomb where he had lain for four days. And how
could his second death blot them from his memory?
How tender was the love of those sisters for their
brother ! They showed it by the tears they shed
at his tomb. They showed it by the sorrow they
expressed that the Master was not present during

272 A EETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

his illness: ^'Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died." TChey showed it by their
confiding prayer; *^We know that whatever thou
wilt ask of God, He will grant it to Thee." And
they mainf ested their gratitude at his resurrection
by the banquet they prepared.

But if such was their joy and such their love
at their earthly reunion, I leave you to imagine
their unspeakable happiness at their eternal reun-
ion in the City of God. Conceive if you can the
gratitude of Lazarus for his beloved sisters to
whom he was indebted under God not only for
the brief extension of life that was granted to
him on earth, but very probably also for the im-
mortal life he now enjoys with them in heaven.

IV.

Family Eeunion.

The pen of the sacred writer, as well as the
pencil of the artist habitually portrays Jesus,
Mary and Joseph inseparably united in one group
as they had lived in the days of their earthly
pilgrimage.

The teachings of our holy religion declare that
the relations of the Holy Family are not changed
in Paradise and that the conjugal, parental and

LIFE m HExWEN 273

filial love whicb. marked their domestic life at
Nazareth will be continued for all eternity in
heaven.

Christ will not deny to the Christian family in
the life to come those natural joys which He now
shares with Mary and Joseph in their eternal
home.

God never implants in the human breast any
rational and laudable desire without intending that
it should be gratified, for, He never creates any-
thing in vain. Now what aspiration is more rea-
sonable, more righteous and more in accordance
with the voice of revelation than the wish we cher-
ish that we shall be reunited in the heavenly man-
sions with our kindred whom we loved on earth?

It is repugnant to our religious sense that a
devoted Christian family who were united here
below, would be separated in the life to come, or
that they would be oblivious of one another, and
would have no more tender and intimate associa-
tion with each other than with the other celestial
inhabitants.

On the contrary, our instincts of faith and piety
compel us to believe that He Who said: *^What
God hath joined together, let not man put asun-
der,'' will not fail to bestow on the faithful hus-
band, wife and children that human consolation
which Christ Himself now shares in the City of

274 A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

God with those who were the guardians of His
childhood, and that the bond of union which was
consecrated at the altar of a Christian temple here
below, will be perpetuated in the temple above not
made with hands.

I appeal then to you, faithful members of the
Christian family, you who have been bound to-
gether by the sacred ties of Christian charity,
how sweet and tranquil will be your domestic joys
when you are translated from your earthly to your
heavenly habitation.

Then you will enjoy the glorious liberty of the
children of God, without the danger of the sin of
license.

Then will there be love without dissimulation,
concord without strife.

Then will there be mutual admiration of your
respective gifts and charms, without exciting envy,
because you will clearly perceive that each one's
special graces and attractions will be a radiation
of God's infinite perfections, as the beauty of the
lily reflects the splendor of the sun.

You will then have familiar intercourse with
those abroad, without exciting jealousy with those
at home.

You will rejoice with those that rejoice without
weeping with those that weep, for grief has no
place in the mansions of the blessed.

LIFE IN HEAVEN 275

You will exult in the consciousness of an eternal
union without the fear of separation. Then will
you say with all the confidence of the Apostle:
* ' Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principal-
ities nor powers, nor things present nor things to
come, nor height nor depth nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God,**
and of each other.

But you will ask me, may not the peace of the
family in the City of God be marred by the recol-
lection of the occasional animosities, bickerings
and outbreaks of temper that clouded the domestic
horizon in the days of your earthly pilgrimage?
May not these memories rise up in judgment
against you?

Far from it. The memory of those estrange-
ments will serve rather to augment your joys, be-
cause you will be conscious that these moral
wounds have been healed by the blood of the Lamb,
never to return. You will have the assurance of
being confirmed in grace. You will remember
those human frailties with immeasurably more
relief than a patient who had suffered from many
physical distempers when he rejoices in his com-
plete restoration to health.

Some years ago a lady of my acquaintance was
grievously afflicted by the death of an only daugh-
ter who was carried off in the prime of life. She

276 A RETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

had none of the consolations which you happily
enjoy when the angel of death visits your family.
She had no knowledge of the communion of saints.
She thought that death created a chasm which
severed all spiritual relations between herself and
her daughter. She casually learned of the teach-
ings of the Church on this subject. It was to her
a joyous revelation. She became a fervent Cath-
olic and her daily comfort was to commune with
her beloved one and offer fervent prayers for her
soul.

If you hope, my Brethren, to enjoy the society
of your dear kindred in heaven, prepare at once
for that happy reunion. Think often of the glory
of the City of God, and the contemplation of it will
inflame your ambition to inherit it. ^*Live soberly
and justly and piously in this world, looking for
the blessed hope and the coming of the glory of the
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."

Pray daily and earnestly for all for whom Christ
died, especially for your relations, *^ whether this
present world still detains them in the flesh, or the
world to come hath already received them, stripped
of their mortal bodies, ^Hhat He may raise them to
the life of grace here and of glory hereafter, and
that you may live in the blessed hope of enjoying
their company not for a few fleeting years, but for
all eternity.

LIFE IN HEAVEN 277

V.

Meeting of Friends.

Then consider the delights of friendship in the
coming life. Most of you have experienced the
pleasures of earthly attachments, and there are
few joys so delightful, so solid or so lasting as the
joys of pure and holy fellowship. The pleasures
of the senses bring satiety and even disgust when
they are grossly indulged in.

The pleasures of true friendship are increased
and nourished by the companionship of a friend.
History affords us many examples of pure inti-
macies of this kind. Such was the friendship of
Jonathan for David that in the expressive words
of Scripture, **the soul of Jonathan was knit in
the soul of David and Jonathan loved David as his
own soul.'*

Beloved Brethren, let your friendships ever rest
on the solid foundation of truth, honor, disinter-
estedness and religion, and then they will be last-
ing.

0 blessed friendship inspired by virtue which
begins with time and endures unto eternity which
having its roots on earth, blooms in heaven! 0
blessed friendship whose fruit ripens with the
eternal years and never decays, which is proof

278 A EETEOSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS

against temptation and adversity, and is stronger
than death.

Let your imagination picture to itself the delight
of these heavenly associations. If Jonathan and
David had so much pleasure in these secret and
stolen interviews when they tried to escape the
vigilance of the jealous king Saul, how ineffable
will be the delight of friends in heaven whose fel-
lowship will meet with the appro\dng smile of the
great King, and who will have no fear of being ever
separated by estrangement or death.

(

INDEX

ALBANY, Diocese of, 37.
Alexander the Great, 236.
Americanism, 153.
American Church, debt to

Church in France, 34.
Ameins, Cathedral of, 42.
Australia, 51-93.

BALTIMORE Cathedral, dedi-
cated, 1821, 1.

Laying of corner stone, 1806,
11.

One hundredth anniversary
of laying of comer stone,
17.

Work of erection interrupted
by war with England,
1812-1815, 22.
Baltimore, Lord, 56-57-106.

Raised to Archiepiscopal See
in 1808, 82-33.

Second Plenary Council of,
148.

Third Plenary Council of, 88.
Bavaria, 81.

Bayley, Most Rev. Jas. Roose-
velt, Archbishop, conse-
crated Baltimore Cathe-
dral, 23.

Bayley, Most Rev. Jas. Roose-
velt, Archbishop, 36.
Bede, Venerable, 48.

Begin, Archbishop, 89.
Bishops of the World, Council

of, 9.
Bismark, Prince, Chancellor of

Germany, 8.
Boston, originally sole diocese

in all New England, 117.
Archdiocese of, wonderful

growth of Catholicism in,

118.
Brooklyn, diocese of, statistics

of, 129.
Butler, Alban, 50.
Calvert, Leonard, 56.
Calvinism, 60.
Canada, not represented at

Conclave which elected

Pius X, 93.
Carlyle, tribute to priesthood,

106.
Carroll, Most Rev. John, D. D.,

Bishop of Baltimore, head

of first diocese in the

United States, 1806, 12-17-

25-32-229.

279

380

INDEX

Carroll, Most Rev. John, D.D.,
Administration of. 18-19.

Appointed first Bishop of
American Church by Pius
VII, 1789, 31.

Champion of Americanism,
20.

Entrusted with important
mission to Canada by Con-
tinental Congress, 18.

Intimate relations with those
of other creeds, 21.

Moulds diverse elements in
United States into organ-
ized church, 19.

Patriarch at American
Church, 58.

Solicitude for all the
churches, 20.

Charles of Carrollton, Mis-
sion to Canada, 18-35.

Catholic Church, Christ with,
as long as world shall
last, 2.
Indestructible, 2.
Perpetuity of the, 2.
Catholicism, increase of, 143.
Catholic University, encourag-
ing growth of, 190.
Foundation and development
of, due largely to efforts of
Leo XIII and Pius X, 191.

Celestine, Pope, 81.
Chase, Samuel, mission to Can-
ada, 18.
Chaloner, Bishop, 50-62.

Chaucer, 49.

Cheverus, Bishop, of Boston,

118.
Christian Emperors, conspicu-
ous reigns of, 69.
Christianity, remarkable
spread of, 126-127.
Religion of joy, 252.
Useful as to extension, 256.

Church and State, no conflict
between, mutual aid ren-
dered, 213.

Civil War, 209-236.

Cleveland, Grover, President of
United States, 90.

Coleridge, Father, 50.

Columbus, 11.

Concanen, Rt. Rev. Richard
Luke, first Bishop of New
York, 33.
Died in Naples before exer-
cising episcopal preroga-
tives, 33.

Conclave for election of Pope,
nations represented, 92.

Connolly, Rt. Rev. John, sec-
ond Bishop of New York,
83.

Constantine defeats Maxentlus
at Milvian Bridge, 4.

Constitution, American, guar-
antees religious liberty, 32.

United States, of the, 146.

United States, of the, polit-
ical authority distributed
to preserve balance of
power, 207.

INDEX

281

Constitution, United States,
of the, prerogatives of
Federal and State govern-
ments, 207.
* Corrigan, Most Rev. Michael
Augustine, D. D., Arch-
bishop of New York, 38.

Coskery, Very Rev. Dr., 218.

Councils of Church in Amer-
ica, 15.
CScumenical, 80.

Cromwell, policy of, 180.

DAVID, Father, later Bishop

of Bardstown, 108.
Declaration of Independence,

170.

Democracy, obligations of, 199.

Dryden, John, 49.

Dubois, Bishop John, third of
New York, 23-136.

Founder and president of
Mount St. Mary's College,
34.

ECCLESTON, Archbishop, 15-
23-25-229.

Elder, William Henry, Arch-
bishop, 23-108-111-112.

Created Bishop of Natchez
in 1857, 108.

"William, great grandfather
of Archbishop, 107-108.

Ellicott City, supplies granite
for Baltimore Cathedral,
22,

England, 93-97.

FABER, Father, 50.

Fathers and Doctors of Eastern
and Western Church recog-
nized supreme jurisdiction
of See of Rome, 80.

Fenwick, Bishop of Boston, 23.

Foley, Bishops, 23.

France, clergy of, 53.
National and Schismatic
Church founded by Na-
poleon I, 3.

Struggle against heresy in

Sixteenth Century, 6.
French Revolution, 53.

Franklin, Benjamin, under-
takes important mission
to Canada, 18.

GAMALIEL, 7.

Georgetown College, 12.

Germany, 5-81.

Gibbon, Historian, 5.

Gilmour, Bishop, 112.

Gordon, Lord George, riots, 62.

Gospel, St. Matthew's, 2.

Grant, General, 238.

Greece, 10.

Gregory the Great, Pope, 48-54-
81.

Gregory IX, Pope, 83.

Gross, Bishop of Oregon, 23.

2S2

INDEX

HALLAM, Historian, 9.
Harper, Mayor of New York,

36.
Hay, Bishop, 50.
Heine, Heinrich, 42.
Heiss, Most Rev. Michael, 148.
Henni, Archbishop, Pioneer
Apostle of Wisconsin, 148.
Henry VIII, National Church

in England, 3.
Heresies during the Fourth

and Fifth Centuries, 6.
Hierarchy, English - speaking

established, 49-50.
Hogan, Bishop of Kansas City,

140.
Holy Innocents, slaughter of,

163.
Howard, Governor, of Revolu-
tionary fame, 21.
Site for Baltimore Cathedral

purchased from, 21.
Statue of, at Mount Vernon
Place, 21.
Huns, invasion of Southern

Europe, 5.
Hughes, Archbishop of New
York, 15-136.
Remarkable administration

of, 35.
Scholarly ability of, 36-37.

IMMIGRANTS, blessing to
Church in the United
States, 13.

Immigrants, contribute to
growth and expansion of
Metropolitan See, 43-150.

Influx of, to Wisconsin, 149.
Infidelity, insistent foe of

Church, 3.
Ireland, alone remains true to
Holy Faith, 6.

Apostolic zeal of mission-
aries, 176.

Conversion of kings by St.
Patrick, 173.

Converted without blood-
shed, 174.

Cromwellian invasion of, 180.

Education denied people of,
181-2.

Encouraging progress in re-
ligious, political and eco-
nomic spheres of activity,
184.

Failure of persecutions to
interfere with loyalty of
Faith in, 183.

Fame of schools, 176.

Happy effects of conversion
in, 174.

Hardships of clergy during
persecutions, 182.

History of, inseparable from
her Christianity, 186.

Home Rule Bill in, 184.

Land Act in, 185.

Missionaries from, 81.

Peaceful condition of, from
Fifth to Eighth Century,
175.

INDEX

283

Ireland, penal laws in, 181-2.
Rapid conversion of, 173.
Violent persecutions in, 180.
"Work of English and Irish
Statesmen in remedying
vicious laws in, 184.

Irish, religious zeal of, in
North America, 176.
Steadfastness of Faith
among the, 179.

JAPAN, 81.
Jenkins, Michael, 239.
Treasurer of Catholic Uni-
versity, 244-5-6.

KENRICK, Archbishop, por-
tico of Baltimore Cathe-
dral constructed by, 23.

Kenrick, Archbishop, 25-108-
229-230.

LANGTON, Stephen, Cardinal
Archbishop of Canterbury
great assistance in secur
Ing Charter of Liberty, 49

Law, American ecclesiastical
framed in Baltimore Ca
thedral, 15.

Latrobe, Benjamin Henry,
Architect of Baltimore Ca-
thedral, 22.

Leo XIII, Pope, 54-88-90-97-99.
Sketch of life, 82.
Encyclical* on Christian Mar-
riage, 83.

Leo XIII, Pope, condition of
workmen, 84.

Constitution of Christian
States, 85.

Leo X, Pope, 100.

Lingard, Dr., 50.

Logue, Cardinal, Archbishop of

Armagh, 30.
Loughlin, Bishop of Brooklyn,

Apostolic zeal of, 129-130.

Lulworth Castle, Chapel of,
Bishop Carroll consecrted
in, 31.

MAGNA CHARTA, source of
English civil and political
freedom, 49.

Manning, Cardinal, repre-
sented at Centenary cele-
bration of establishment
of American Catholic hier-
archy in Baltimore, 48.

Cardinal, literary labor and
Apostolic life of, 50.

Cardinal, 93.
Mareschal, Archbishop, dedi-
cated Baltimore Cathedral,
22.
Remains interred beneath
sanctuary of Baltimore
Cathedral, 25.
Archbishop, 1-15-22-229.
Mareschal, Rev. Dr., 118.
Martinelli, Cardinal, invested
with insignia of Cardinal
in Baltimore Cathedral,
24.

284

INDEX

Maryland, founded by English

Catholics, 56.
Maxentius, defeated at Milvian

Bridge, 4.
Methodius, looked upon as

Apostle of Russia, 81.

Milner, Dr., 61.

Mohammedanism, conflict of
Church against, from Sev-
enth to Sixteenth Centur-
ies, 6.
Vigilance of Bishops of "Rome
against, 99.

Moran, Cardinal, 93.

Mt. St. Mary's College, Em-

mitsburg, 108.
Mt. Vernon, pilgrimages to,

by American citizens, 25.

McCloskey, Rt. Rev. John,
Bishop of New York, 1864,
36.

Prominent in Second Plen-
ary Council of Baltimore,
37.

First Cardinal created on
American soil, 38.

Distance traveled to attend
Mass when a boy, 128.

McHale, Archbishop, first Prel-
ate since Reformation who
received all his education
In native land, 182.

NAPOLEON I. oppression of
French Episcopate, 3.

Napoleon, 144.

National Council, First, pre-
sided over by Archbishop
Kenrick in 1852, 24.

Second, presided over by
Archbishop Spalding in
1866, 24.

Third, presided over by
Archbishop Gibbons In
1884, 24.

National shortcomings due to
indifference, lethargy and
political apostacy, 214.

Neale, Archbishop of Balti-
more, 118-229.

Nero, Garden of. Christians
tortured in, 4.

New England, remarkable
change in religious belief,
119-20.

Newman, John Henry, Cardi-
nal, 49-50-63-88-93.

New Jersey, State of, 40.

New York, diocese of, cente-
nary celebration, 31.

In early days comprised
whole State of New York
and eastern portion of
New Jersey, 33.

State of, 40.

New Zealand, 51.

Nice, First General Council of,
80.
North America, Evangeliza-
tion of, 81.

OSCOTT, Synod of, 63.

INDEX

285

PAGANISM, continual warfare
of the Church against, 3.

Patriotism, necessary conse-
quence of love for God,
152.

All important for stability
and permanence of Repub-
lic, 210.

Penal laws, 20.

Pentecost, Church commences
active career, 3.

Persecutions, Church passed
through series of ten, 4.

Pise, 136.

Pius VI, Bull creating hier-
archy of Catholic Church
In United States, 17.

Plus VII, Elevates Baltimore
toArchlepiscopal See, 1808,
32.

Long Reign of, 83.

Plus IX, long reign of, 83.

Plus X, homage and reverence
of Prelates to, 56.

Pius X, 92-93-95-97-99.

Plantagenets, 32.

Plowden, Rev. Chas., 31-58.

Pope Alexander, 49.

Exiled from See and coun-
try, 3.

Presidential contest of 1876,
Tilden and Hayes, 209.

Priests, number of ordained,
by Cardinal Gibbons, 23.

Purcell, Bishop, 23.

REFORMATION, Protestant,
temporary success of, 179.

Religious revolution of Six-
teenth Century, 6.

Connection of, with educa-
tion, 196.

Roman Empire unable to crush
Church or arrest progress, 5.

Extent of, 125-126.

Rome, 10.

Runnymede, plains of, 49.

Russia, 81.

Ryder, 15.

SANCTITY, characteristics
of, 252.

Sarto, Cardinal (later Pius X),
conduct during Papal Con-
clave, 96-97.

Satolli, Cardinal, invested with
insignia of cardinalitial
rank, 24.

Scotland, 81.

Scythia, barbarians of, 5.

Shakespeare, 49.

Sheridan, Philip, General,
death lamented by North
and South, 235-237-238-239.

Southern Europe, Invasion of,

5.
Spalding, Archbishop, 218.

Consecrates Bishop Gibbons,
25-30-31-82-229.

Pioneer in Catholic Univers-
ity movement, 195.

286

INDEX

Spalding, Archbishop, devo-
tion to Blessed Virgin,
225.
Defender of Faith, 226.

Remarkable constructive
work in Archdiocese of
Baltimore, 228.

Spalding, Henrietta, mother of
Archbishop, 217.

Sistine Chapel, 95.

St. Ambrose, 247.

St. Andrew, 73.

St. Augustine, 48-52-73-81-230.
~ St. Basil, 137.

St. Boniface, 81.

St. Chrysostom, 73.

St. Cyril, 81.

St. Francis de Sales, 108.

St. Gregory of Nanzianzen, 137.

St. Jane de Chantal, 108.

St. John Baptist, 159.

St. John's Seminary, Boston,
122.

St. Joseph, companion of Mary,
162.
Man of unparalleled sanc-
tify, 165.

St. Luke, 161.

St. Mary's Baltimore, 12.

St. Omer's, school attended by
Archbishop Carroll, 18.

St. Paul, Apostle of Nations,
30-73-104-107-144-182-257-
258-263-266.

St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland,
30-48-52-73-172.

Birthplace of, 172.

Consecrated Bishop by St.

Maximus, Bishop of Turin,

172.
Commissioned to preach

Gospel to Irish by Pope

St. Celestine, 172.
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New

York, land secured by

Archbishop Hughes, 41.

Building erected by Cardinal
McCloskey, 41.

Work completed by Arch-
bishop Corrigan, 41.

St. Peter, 73-83.

St. Peter's, Basilica of, 28-101.

First Catholic Church in
New York City, 40-148.
St. Thomas, 106.
Starrs, 136.

TAFT, William Howard, 212.

Taney, Chief Justice of United

States, 84-216.
Taschereau, Cardinal, 89-90-92.

Temple of Jerusalem, con-
ceived by David, built by
Solomon, 75.

UNITED STATES, 105.

Duties of citizens, 145.

Safety and permanence of
Republic depends on auto-
nomy of the several States,
209.

INDEX

287

United States, political prob-
lems of, 145.
Senators, direct election of,
145-146.

Universities of Europe, nearly
all founded and endowed
by Churcli, 10.

"VANDALS overrun Southern

Europe, 5.
Vatican Council, 80-87-222.

Museum of, 10.
Vaughn, Cardinal, 92.
Venice, See of Pius X, 97.
Visigoths, invade Europe, 5.
Voltairism, 60.

WALMESLEY, Bishop, Vicar
Apostolic of the London
District, Bishop Carroll
consecrated by, 17-31.

Walmesley, Bishop, Vicar
Apostolic of the London
District, Eminent Scient-
ist, 58.

Washington, George, 84-144-212.

Weld, Thomas, Esq., 31.

Cardinal, son of Thomas and
conspicuous member of
Sacred College, 58.

Westminster, Diocese of, 47.

Wight, Isle of, 56.

Williams, Archbishop, part
played in religious devel-
opment of New England,
121.

Wiseman, Cardinal, 50.

Whelan, Bishop, 23.

White, Doctor, Cardinal Gib-
bons baptised by, 25.

Whitfield, Archbishop, 15-23-25-
229.

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